The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects to improve port facilities.
Funds are available through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and additional Congressional appropriations.
The programme will benefit coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports, helping improve supply chain reliability.
“So many of the goods we all count on, from appliances to furniture to clothes, move through our nation’s ports on their way to us,” said US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“Using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year we’re awarding record levels of funding to improve our port infrastructure, strengthen our supply chains, and help cut costs for American families.”
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The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) supports efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the nation’s freight transportation needs.
The programme provides planning, capital funding, and project management assistance to improve ports’ capacity and efficiency.
As disclosed by the USDOT, more than 60 per cent of the awards will be benefitting ports in historically disadvantaged communities and several of the projects will help reduce emissions at the ports through electrification.
Additionally, more than $150 million in awards include a focus on electrification of port equipment to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
The awards also include nearly $100 million for port projects that will advance offshore wind deployment.
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“President Biden’s commitment to modernising our infrastructure – from the beginning of his administration – has resulted in an unprecedented investment in all segments of our port infrastructure to enable us to move goods more quickly, strengthen supply chain resiliency, and reduce the climate impacts of port operations themselves,” said Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips.
Beneficiaries of the grants include:
- The JAXPORT EXPRESS Project ($23,518,000)
- Salem Wind Port Project ($33,835,953)
- Project Steel Wheel – Columbus Dock Expansion ($6,123,225)
- Port of Camden Access and Infrastructure Resiliency Project ($25,000,000)
- Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority ($27,223,711)
- Grays Harbor Terminal 4 Expansion & Redevelopment Project ($25,500,000)
- Port of Green Bay Site Development Project ($10,134,800)
Most recently, the state of California allocated $94 million in Transportation Department grants to bolster infrastructure at six California ports.
The investment focuses on electrification, emissions reduction, and port congestion.
