Moore Breaks Ground on $1.2B Baltimore Port Terminal Boost

BALTIMORE — Governor Wes Moore broke ground May 1, 2026, at the former Bethlehem Steel site in Sparrows Point for the new 168-acre Sparrows Point Container Terminal, partnering with Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investment Limited. The project, backed by $1.2 billion in private financing—one of the largest such container terminal investments in U.S. history—will include an on-dock rail facility at Coke Point to handle 1 million containers annually. Completion is slated for 2030, generating $1.5 billion in annual economic activity for Maryland and elevating the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore from the East Coast's sixth- to third-largest container port.

The terminal will create 1,100 permanent jobs with the International Longshoremen's Association and 7,000 indirect positions tied to operations, fueling growth in Baltimore's working-class communities. Federal support bolsters the effort: Nearly $39.7 million from the U.S. Maritime Administration's Port Infrastructure Development Program targets freight capacity expansion at Tradepoint Atlantic. This aligns with broader port momentum, including new records for cargo vessel visits and container activity announced by Moore, following the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and full reopening of the Fort McHenry Channel.

Complementing the buildout, the $518 million CSX Howard Street Tunnel Project—due in 2026—will modernize a 130-year-old Baltimore freight tunnel for double-stacked container trains, adding 160,000 containers yearly and 14,000 jobs. These initiatives position Maryland's port as a resilient East Coast powerhouse, drawing cargo from rivals and sustaining local economies from Dundalk to Curtis Bay.