U.S. ports gain $653 million for infrastructure improvement projects

Maritime ports across country gained a shot in the arm for infrastructure improvement projects last week with an announcement of $653 million in funding for 41 projects in 26 states and one territory.

The money will come in the form of Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) awards from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). “These investments will help expand capacity and speed up the movement of goods through our ports, contributing to cleaner air and more good-paying jobs as we go,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a release.

More specifically, the funds will help modernize America's seaports, according to Cary Davis, president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). “These competitive grants will be used to expand capacity, repair seawalls, build new berths, upgrade terminals, improve intermodal connections, and rehabilitate wharves and docks. PIDP is essential to maintaining strong ports, and by extension, a strong America," Davis said.

Examples from the full list of awards include these 12 projects:

• Dock Infrastructure Replacement, Cold Bay, Alaska ($43.3 million)
• North Harbor Transportation System Improvement Project, Long Beach, California ($52.6 million)
• Reconstruction of Berth PN-308 at Port Newark, Newark, New Jersey ($32 million)
• Ko’Kwel Wharf Improvements Project, North Bend, Oregon ($7.7 million)
• Port of Ogdensburg Terminal Expansion Project, Ogdensburg, New York ($5.1 million)
   Wabasha Barge Terminal Project, Wabasha, Minnesota ($2.5 million)
• North Gate Relocation and Access Optimization, Wilmington, North Carolina ($10.9 million)
• Port of Tacoma Husky Terminal Expansion Port One, Tacoma, Washington ($54.2 million)
• Velasco Terminal Sustainable Expansion Project, Freeport, Texas ($15.9 million)
   Agricultural Maritime Export Facility – Phase 2, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ($9.2 million)
• Port of Blencoe Infrastructure Development Project, Blencoe, Iowa ($10.2 million)
   River Valley Slackwater Harbor Project, Fort Smith, Arkansas ($15.0 million)