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Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the government will provide funding for Vancouver, British Columbia’s South Shore Trade Area, which involves rail, port and trucking operations. The government will partner with the port and city of Vancouver, Canadian Pacific and CN to fund various infrastructure projects.

The government will contribute up to $48 million of the $120 million total investment. During the past three years, Canada has committed about $1 billion to the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative.

“The South Shore Trade Area is essential to the trade that flows between western Canada and our Pacific trading partners,” said Harper in a prepared statement.

Meanwhile, the Port of Vancouver, Wash., last week received a low bid of $15.3 million from Rotschy Inc. to build a rail loop at Terminal 5. The loop is part of the $137 million West Vancouver Freight Access project, which calls for building 1.8 miles of track encircling the port's new Terminal 5 on the former Alcoa-Evergreen aluminum site.

The port commission expects to award the contract at its Oct. 27 meeting. Work is scheduled to start in November and conclude in June 2010.

Finally, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and New York City last week signed long-term agreements concerning the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island and a Brooklyn cruise terminal.

New York City agreed to extend PANYNJ’s lease for the 202-acre Howland Hook facility through June 30, 2058. The authority will maintain long-term control of a container terminal within the port and invest $110 million to improve the facility, such as by completing state-of-good-repair projects and deepening a channel. New York Container Terminal Inc. currently operates the terminal under a lease with PANYNJ.