Duluth Seaway Port Authority awarded federal grant for rail-served warehouse

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration has allocated a $10.5 million grant to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority to help fund the construction of a new rail-served warehouse.

The grant will help fund the construction of a 56,000-square-foot warehouse at the Clure Public Marine Terminal, along with rehabilitation of 1,775 lineal feet of deteriorating dock walls at Berth 10 and 11, port authority officials said in a press release.

The grant is funded through the federal Port Infrastructure Development Program.

The new warehouse will add to an existing 430,000 square feet of warehouse space at the terminal to meet demand from regional businesses. The dock wall rehabilitation will fortify 7 acres of lay-down space for inbound and outbound heavy-lift cargo, as well as protect the recently renovated dock deck, port authority officials said.

The Clure Marine Terminal is the Port of Duluth-Superior's only general cargo terminal. The port is located at the western end of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway.

"These projects will also allow us to expand our service capabilities at our multimodal logistics hub, which in turn helps us support industries throughout the Upper Midwest," said Deb DeLuca, the port authority's executive director.

The Clure terminal offers direct access to BNSF Railway Co., CN, Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad.