Contractors for Southeast Toyota Distributors have made significant progress on a new 340,000-square-foot auto processing facility currently under construction at Blount Island Marine Terminal at JAXPORT.
The project’s contractor, J.E. Dunn Construction, has completed the foundations and is now beginning construction of the concrete walls in preparation for the installation of structural steel framing in late July.
Planned for completion in summer 2025, the $145 million public-private partnership aims to modernise the company’s operations, incorporating additional on-site rail connections and truck loading areas.
Upon completion, Southeast Toyota Distributors will relocate operations from its 50-acre facility at JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal and an adjacent 23-acre private facility into a single 88-acre property at Blount Island.
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To further enhance capabilities for vehicle processors at Blount Island, JAXPORT in partnership with FDOT, has two berth enhancement projects currently underway. One vehicle berth is being expanded to accommodate two vehicles instead of one, and a second berth is being widened to accommodate larger ships calling the terminal more efficiently.
“We are excited to continue our long-term commitment to growth in Jacksonville, a city that has always been at the heart of our operations,” said Eric Carter, Group Vice President of Operations, Southeast Toyota Distributors.
“We are in the midst of the largest investment in our history. With Toyota’s continued development and success within our five-state footprint, this new facility will expand our vehicle processing capacity while increasing our agility and capacity to receive vehicles by both rail and sea.
“Designed with efficiency in mind, this new facility will address capacity and logistical needs to better enhance the prompt dealer service that Southeast Toyota Distributors strives to continue providing to our dealer partners.”
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“We are proud of the partnership we have built with Southeast Toyota Distributors over the past five decades and grateful for their commitment to bringing this world-class facility to Jacksonville,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green.
“This public-private partnership, supported by our partners at FDOT, provides quality jobs for our community while enhancing our position as the global gateway for Toyotas bound for the growing Southeast US market.”
Late last year, SSA Marine reached the halfway point in a $72 million project to expand and modernise the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal.
