Miles SmithThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has announced the availability of $450 million for projects that improve port safety and efficiency. Applications for Port Infrastructure Development Program funding must be submitted by April 30.
More funding for projects might be added later this year if approved by Congress.
Projects require at least 20% in local matching funds, with an exception for rural projects and projects at small ports. At least $112.5 million of the available funding will be reserved for projects at small ports.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has committed $2.25 billion to the program through 2026.
Approximately $580 million was awarded in November to 31 port improvement projects in 15 states.
The awards included:
- $50 million to build a new general purpose cargo terminal at the Don Young Port of Alaska in Anchorage. Work funded by the grant includes the demolition of the existing terminal, construction of the trestle and wharf structure and related landside facilities and utilities. The project will improve port efficiency and reliability by eliminating weight and operational limits placed on the current facility.
- $49.5 million for wharf strengthening and other structural repairs at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, including crane girder upgrades, added piling, beam strengthening, crane rail replacement, removing and replacing the old electrical bus bar system and pavement overlay at Berths 24-26 within the Outer Harbor Terminal. The project will enable the port to host larger vessels at the same time to better respond to market demand on the West Coast.
- $49.8 million to create a self-contained, on-terminal power distribution network fed from dedicated, Georgia Port Authority (GPA)-owned substations at the Port of Savannah’s terminal in Garden City, Georgia. It will also build redundant power feeds and backup power generation systems, replace overhead power lines with an underground network and build a new GPA-owned substation to provide resiliency and increase the capacity of available electric power.
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