The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $12.6 million in grants to nine highway projects across the nation.
The grants come under America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP) and aims to help address supply chain disruptions, enhance the movement of goods along navigable waterways, and expand existing waterborne freight services in Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
The announcement of these grants also comes as part of a promise from the Biden-Harris Port Action Plan to deliver near-term actions to address supply chain disruptions by helping to increase flexibilities for port grants, accelerate port infrastructure grant awards, initiative new construction projects for coastal navigation, and launch the first round of expanded port infrastructure grants funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure law.
“These investments through the America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods, more quickly and more efficiently,” said Pete Buttigieg, US Secretary of Transportation. “In this moment of record demand for goods and shipping, this is an important piece of the administrations Port Action Plan to strengthen supply chains, modernise port operations, and lower the cost of goods for American families.”
Lucinda Lessley, Acting Maritime Administrator, added “America’s Marine Highway Program is an innovative program that encourages the use of America’s navigable waterways for the movement of freight and people as an alternative to land-based transportation.
“The funding announced today advances our ongoing efforts to help new marine highway service begin operation and to improve existing services.”
Since the inception of the program, it has designated 52 Marine Highway Projects, bolstering jobs and local economies. A total of 24 eligible highway projects have received AMHP grants to further improve the national transportation system.
All Marine Highway Grants awarded recipients must apply, comply with and implement all provisions of the Buy American Act.
Project receiving funding have been listed below:
- Delaware and New Jersey: Cape May – Lewes Ferry (awarded $600,000)
- Hawaii: Hawaii Commercial Harbors System Shipping Service (awarded $200,475)
- India and Kentucky: M-70 Barge Service in the Ports of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and beyond (awarded $1,408,000)
- Louisiana and Tennessee: Baton Rouge-New Orleans Shuttle Service (awarded $847,500)
- North Carolina: North Carolina Container on Barge Shuttle Operation (awarded $1,015,000)
- New Jersey: Mid Atlantic Barge Service (awarded $1,010,800)
- New York and New Jersey: New York Harbor Container and Trailer-on-Barge Service (awarded $1,470,000)
- Texas: Chambers County-Houston Container on Barge Expansion Service (awarded $3,000,000)
- Virginia: James River Container Expansion Project (awarded $3,048,363)
