State of Maryland officials have broken ground at the location of the future Sparrows Point Container Terminal.

This $1.2 billion project will create a new state-of-the-art container terminal on a 168-acre site in eastern Baltimore County known as Coke Point, part of the former Sparrows Point Bethlehem Steel Mill.

When it is fully operational by 2030, the terminal will increase container operations at the Port of Baltimore by more than 70 percent. More than 1,100 direct union jobs will be created, with more than 8,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs projected over the next decade.

This investment is a game changer for Maryland and the Baltimore region—the project will elevate the already-thriving Port of Baltimore to the third largest container terminal in capacity on the East Coast while strengthening the state’s link to the Midwest. The expansion is projected to bring employment at Sparrows Point to levels not seen since the era of Bethlehem Steel.

Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investment Limited are leading the project. Since 2014, Tradepoint Atlantic has cleaned up the environmental legacy left behind by steel operation and attracted over 50 world class companies, restoring more than 14,000 jobs to Maryland’s economy.

The Sparrows Point Container Terminal is backed by $88 million in state investments, including assistance from the Maryland Department of Commerce.

“This expansion is a major win for Maryland’s global competitiveness. This project will create not only much needed opportunity and investment locally, but it will reinforce our state’s role as a premier location for international investment and trade,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, Jr. “We’re proud to support Tradepoint Atlantic as they strengthen Maryland’s economy and global trade connections over the next decade.”