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Tiger V grant award will enable rehabilitation of port’s 90-year-old wharf
The Port of Wilmington has been rewarded with a US$10 million federal grant by the US Department of Transportation to help in the upgrade of its ailing infrastructure.
The funds, part of a Tiger V grant award, will be used to revitalise the port’s 90-year-old wharf currently used for two general cargo berths at a cost of $13 million, according to America Fruit.
Additional funding will be provided by the port’s owner an operator the Diamond State Port Corporation.
“The Port of Wilmington is vital to the economy of Delaware and the entire region,” said Senator Tom Carper.
“As America’s No. 1 seaport for fresh fruit imports, it supports thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue.”
“The Tiger evaluation process recognised the strong economic value of investing in our port’s infrastructure and the Tiger program continues to offer a strong return for taxpayers on innovative infrastructure investments that help to support our ongoing economic recovery.”
The improvements to the wharf and the widening of Wilmington’s cargo berths are seen as an integral part of the state of Delaware’s agreement with multinational fresh fruit supplier Dole to prevent the company from moving its business to nearby New Jersey.
“With this grant, which took an all-hands-on-desk effort to get, the port is well positioned for the future,” added Carper.
