Boatright Companies is building a major state-of-the-art railroad crosstie plant in Chilton County, a $55 million investment with plans to have 100 workers employed by the end of 2013.

The new 400,000-square-foot facility on 100 acres in the Chilton County Industrial Park will put the Boatright plant on a CSX rail line and give the company the ability to more than double its current railroad tie production capacity, according to a press release.

The plant will be able to season, treat and distribute as many as 2 million railroad ties per year, the same volume as at the company’s current plant in Montevallo. However, the Chilton County plant will also have room to expand and boost capacity by another 1 million ties per year, if the need arises.

The Chilton County plant will also provide another advantage when it comes to getting the ties to customers, Boatright Companies President and CEO, Shane Boatright said in the release.

“The new plant is on a CSX rail line while the Montevallo plant is on a Norfolk Southern line,” he said. Being able to access customers through two of the nation’s major rail carriers will allow the company to keep costs down in the market it already serves while opening up new markets for the company’s crossties.

The plant will begin operating in the first quarter of 2013, starting out with about 50 employees. By the end of the third quarter of 2013, the company expects that figure to be closer to 100.

Boatright will host a job fair on Tuesday, July 10 at the Clanton Recreation Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to interview applicants for the open positions, such as forklift operators, wheel loaders and general laborers.

“We are excited to offer opportunities for job-seekers in these areas,” said Boatright. “In this economy, to be able to fill so many positions at one time in one industry is remarkable.”