Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., the largest supplier of pre-stressed concrete ties to North America’s freight and transit railroads, has entered in to a long-term supply agreement with All Aboard Florida and Florida East Coast Railway (FECR). The new agreement will require the construction of a new facility in Ft. Pierce, FL.
Local contractor Paul Jacquin & Sons Construction is the project’s general contractor.
“Building a new plant in Fort Pierce not only allows us to bring better value products to our key customers, but it will bring 42 full-time, well-paying jobs as well as tax revenue to the city,” Rocla said in a news release.
The new plant will supply ties to FECR, the All Aboard Florida project, as well as other transit agencies and railroads throughout the Southeast United States. It will be located along the existing FECR mainline in Fort Pierce. This location was chosen because Fort Pierce is the midway point between the major urban hubs of Orlando to the north and Miami to the south, making it the ideal point to manufacture and deliver ties to all of Florida’s growing rail operations.
“Rocla is excited to be part of this unique partnership between FECR and All Aboard Florida. The immediate need for concrete ties by the All Aboard Florida passenger rail project helped justify this investment, which will allow us to be an ongoing supplier to any other capital projects of All Aboard Florida and FECR, as well as use the FECR network to reach other customers in the future,” said Brett Urquhart, the company’s vice-president of business development,
“Building a new plant in Fort Pierce not only allows us to bring better value products to our key customers, but it will bring 42 full-time, well-paying jobs as well as tax revenue to the city.”
“Producing concrete crossties in Florida is nothing new for FECR,” said Fran Chinnici,senior vice engineering, mechanical and purchasing. “This new plant and our continued relationship with Rocla provides us with a very high quality product and restores the level of productivity and cost effectiveness we have been missing for several years.”
Construction in Ft. Pierce has commenced and the production of concrete ties will start in early 2016.