Port of Muskogee obtains grant for rail upgrade project

The City of Muskogee Foundation has awarded a $3 million economic development grant that will be used to match federal funds to pay for the Port of Muskogee's rail modernization project.

The grant represents more than half of the funding the Muskogee City-County Port Authority needs to pay its share of the $11.58 million project, according to the Muskogee Phoenix.

Late last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the port would receive a $5.7 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant for the project, which calls for track improvements and expansion of the Oklahoma port's marshaling yard.

Union Pacific Railroad’s access now is limited to four-axle locomotives because the arc of the tracks entering the port is too narrow. Since six-axle locomotives have become the rail industry standard, the four-axle units are being phased out.

Port Director Scott Robinson said Oklahoma Department of Transportation officials have pledged to contribute $732,000 toward the project, and Muskogee city councilors pledged another $500,000 that was included in the proposed renewal of a capital improvements sales tax extension that must win voters' approval, according to the newspaper.

The port authority has guaranteed its share of the match will be covered "one way or the other," said Robinson.