USDOT awards $653 million to fund port improvement projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration today announced $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program.

The projects announced today are designed to strengthen supply chain reliability, create workforce development opportunities, speed up the movement of goods and improve the safety, reliability and resilience of ports, U.S. Department of Transportation officials said in a press release.

Projects were selected based on their ability to improve the safety, efficiency or reliability of the movement of goods, as well as on how well they would improve port resilience. Some projects included rail elements. They and their grant awards include:

• North Harbor Transportation System Improvement Project, Long Beach, California, $52,633,331. The project will add a third intermodal railroad track to the Dominguez Channel Bridge; relocate and modernize Pier B Street, on-dock roadways and associated utilities; and realign Pico Avenue. The rail expansion and roadway improvements will enhance cargo movements to and from the port, increase safety at key railroad crossings near the port and increase internal road capacity to create more space for tractor trailer operations.
• Port Panama City East Terminal Phase Two Expansion Project, Panama City, Florida, $11,250,000. The project includes final design and construction of a 200,000-square-foot warehouse, along with an associated rail-spur extension and terminal roadway improvements to serve the warehouse.
• North Gate Relocation and Access Optimization Project, Wilmington, North Carolina, $10,950,805. The project will construct approximately 4,000 feet of elevated roadway access to the general cargo terminal; relocate the North Gate security checkpoint; install a new gate operating system; improve existing at-grade railroad crossings; construct buildings for badging, guardhouse and cargo control; construct a truck queuing area; and install EV charging infrastructure and solar panels. The new facilities will increase railroad capacity, reduce truck delays resulting from railroad operations and increase supply-chain reliability for U.S. exporters.