The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), making more than $662 million available for its Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).
The PIDP investment is expected to modernise US ports, strengthen its supply chains, and reduce shipping time and costs.
The President’s infrastructure package provides $450 million annually in funding for the Programme.
“America’s ports play a central role in our supply chains,” said Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
“With today’s announcement, we are helping make our ports safer, more efficient, and more reliable, strengthening supply chains, reducing costs for the American people, and positioning us for economic success,” Buttigieg continued.
MARAD’s PIDP discretionary grants help eligible applicants including port authorities, states, local governments, indigenous tribal nations, counties, and other eligible entities, complete critical port-related infrastructure projects.
Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to support projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods through ports and intermodal connections to ports.
MARAD will also consider how projects address climate change, sustainability, equity, and workforce development objectives.
“This funding will support efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the Nation’s freight transportation needs and ensure our port infrastructure can support future growth,” said Maritime Administrator, Ann Phillips.
“The programme also includes a statutory set-aside for small ports to continue to improve and expand their capacity to move freight reliably and efficiently, support local and regional economies, and support supply chain improvement.
READ: MARAD unveils new funding for Marine Highway Projects
Recent projects that have been state funded include installation of fast charging stations and other port electrification components.
For instance, at the Port of Cleveland, the electric and stormwater infrastructure and warehouse capacity were modernised, and an intermodal rail yard was created near an existing port terminal in Kaskaskia, Illinois.
Additionally, MARAD announced a new funding boost to container services for supply chains in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington regions in 2022.
MARAD also announced in the same year the availability of $25 million in funding for the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP).
In the coming weeks, the Federal Highway Administration will open the fiscal year 2022 – 2023 grant applications for the reduction of truck emissions at port facilities programme.
This will make $160 million available to test, evaluate, and deploy projects that reduce port-related emissions from idling trucks, for instance, through the advancement of port electrification and improvements in efficiency.
MARAD will host a series of webinars that describe PIDP and NOFO requirements and the PIDP application process.
