Aerial view of Pier B at the Port of Long Beach showing rail yard expansion and construction operations.
Port of Long Beach, California, August 16, 2025
Jacobs has been awarded the program-level construction management role for the Pier B On‑Dock Rail Support Facility at the Port of Long Beach. The Pier B program will expand the rail yard from 82 to 171 acres, more than tripling on‑dock rail capacity to support up to 4.7 million TEUs annually. The contract will coordinate ten construction packages covering wharf work, backland development and an administration building, with centralized environmental compliance and weekly coordination to limit disruption at the active port. The program is expected to create over 1,000 local construction jobs and improve cargo flow while reducing truck trips and emissions.
What happened: A Dallas‑based construction manager, Jacobs, has been selected to oversee construction management duties for the Pier B On‑Dock Rail Support Facility program at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California. The firm announced the award on Aug. 7. The dollar value of the construction management contract was not disclosed.
Why it matters: The Pier B program is a central piece of the port’s broader $2.2 billion capital program and is intended to increase rail capacity, cut truck trips, reduce emissions and improve air quality in nearby communities. The expanded on‑dock rail facility is expected to enable the port to handle as many as 4.7 million TEUs (twenty‑foot equivalent units) per year and to more than triple on‑dock rail capacity.
The Pier B program is positioned to enable more cargo to move through marine terminals with greater efficiency and less community impact. By expanding the on‑dock rail footprint from 82 to 171 acres and increasing rail throughput, the project aims to significantly reduce truck trips on local roads, lower emissions from cargo movement, and improve air quality for surrounding neighborhoods. The port describes the project as a strategic move to support regional economic development while advancing environmental goals.
Jacobs will provide umbrella program‑level support construction management (PLSCM) services. That approach bundles shared staffing, constructability reviews and integration of Jacobs experts with the port’s internal construction team. The management model emphasizes weekly coordination meetings to align upcoming activities and equipment deliveries so active terminals and construction work can proceed with minimal disruption.
Under the PLSCM structure, Jacobs will coordinate work types that include wharf construction, backland development and the new administration building. A single hub for environmental compliance will oversee multiple projects and will work with the port’s environmental planning unit and regulatory agencies. Environmental oversight is intended to ensure environmental impact report (EIR) requirements are met without delaying construction, while sustainability measures include ship‑to‑shore crane integration and repurposing surplus materials.
Port leadership noted the program includes 10 construction contracts and significant peak workflow that must be managed across live marine operations. Jacobs has prior experience at the port, including planning, design and delivery on projects such as a specialized fireboat station. That prior work included waterfront infrastructure and emergency response facilities designed for long‑term resilience and low maintenance in a coastal setting.
During recent phases of work, a Jacobs team of 22 construction management professionals delivered more than $450 million in construction projects. Management tactics credited with performance gains include integrated construction‑to‑operational startup planning, weekly coordination sessions, and a central environmental compliance hub. Program coordination reportedly reduced schedule delays by six months despite pandemic‑related disruptions.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the busiest gateways for trans‑Pacific trade in the United States, handling hundreds of billions of dollars in cargo annually and supporting a large number of jobs across the country. Expanding on‑dock rail capacity is part of a strategic push to make cargo movement more efficient, reduce community impacts tied to truck traffic, and strengthen supply chain resilience. The Pier B project is expected to be complete by 2032 and is projected to create more than 1,000 local jobs during construction and early operation.
Project delivery will include complex interfaces across planning, procurement and construction. Jacobs will bring digital and technical tools to coordinate logistics, environmental compliance and crane integration. Sustainability measures flagged for the program include material repurposing, air quality monitoring, and steps designed to cut truck‑trip volumes.
The Pier B facility is an on‑dock rail expansion at the Port of Long Beach that will transform an existing rail yard into a modern, larger rail terminal to move more containerized cargo by rail rather than truck.
Jacobs has been selected to provide construction management services through a program‑level support model coordinating multiple contracts and on‑site teams.
The project will increase the rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres, effectively doubling the footprint and boosting on‑dock rail capacity.
The facility is expected to enable handling of up to 4.7 million TEUs per year on the port’s on‑dock rail system.
Work is expected to wrap up in 2032.
The expansion is designed to reduce truck trips, lower emissions associated with cargo movement, and improve air quality in surrounding communities through increased rail use and other mitigation measures.
The program includes 10 construction contracts to manage across wharf work, backland development and related facilities.
The program is expected to generate more than 1,000 local jobs during construction and in early operational phases.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project name | Pier B On‑Dock Rail Support Facility program |
| Client | Port of Long Beach |
| Construction manager | Jacobs |
| Total program cost | $2.2 billion (overall capital program) |
| Rail yard size | Expanding from 82 acres to 171 acres |
| Capacity | Up to 4.7 million TEUs annually |
| Completion target | 2032 |
| Number of contracts | 10 construction contracts |
| Jobs created | More than 1,000 local jobs (estimated) |
| Primary benefits | Improved rail capacity, reduced truck trips, lower emissions, better air quality |
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