Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Grants

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the award of more than $241 million from the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MarAd) Port Infrastructure Development Program grants December 23. (See Washington Waves for more information.)

The grants are split into large and small port categories and include 25 projects in 19 states and one U.S. territory. 

Large Projects At Large Ports

Oakland, Calif.—Powering the Future Project, $5.2 million. The project replaces an electrical substation and circuit and constructs an on-site fuel cell facility and solar array with battery storage.

Long Beach, Calif.—America’s Green Gateway Phase 1: Pier B Early Rail Enhancement Project, $52.3 million. The project creates a new locomotive facility and extensions of the east and west rail yard.

Garden City, Ga.—Colonel’s Island Berth No. 4, $14,647,284. The project constructs a fourth roll-on/roll-off vessel berth at the Port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island Terminal to add capacity.

Albany, N.Y.—Offshore Wind Tower Manufacturing Port Project, $29.5 million. The project will construct the necessary infrastructure to develop 81 acres of vacant industrial area into an offshore wind tower manufacturing project. It also redevelops an additional 14.5 vacant acres inside the Port of Albany.

New York, N.Y.—South Brooklyn Marine Terminal 35th Street Pier Expansion Project, $4,970,500. The project will add a barge berth and an additional crane pad on the western end of the 35th Street pier. The wharf will be designed to accommodate 400-foot-long barges.

San Juan, Puerto Rico—Pier 15 Rehabilitation and Enhancement, $10 million. The project funds reconstruction of the Tender Pier and Dock B in the Pier 15 area in the Port of San Juan along with design and construction of an outfitting pier to enhance roll-on/roll-off operations at Pier 15. Reconstruction addresses infrastructure damage from hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Houston, Texas.—Bayport Container Terminal Expansion, $18,267,600. The project funds development of Container Yard 1 South, a 39-acre greenspace at the Bayport Container Terminal.

Portsmouth, Va.—Portsmouth Marine Terminal Offshore Wind Development. $20 million. The project funds improvements to the Portsmouth Marine Terminal to enable it to serve as a staging area in support of offshore wind products. 

Tacoma, Wash.—Off-Dock Container Support Facility, $15.73 million. The project funds construction of an off-dock container support facility, improving 24.5 acres adjacent to the Husky, Sitcum and Washington United terminals.

Superior Wis.—Infrastructure Improvement Projects, $8.368 million. The project funds repairs to an unutilized facility in the Port of Superior along with rail and road work, a stormwater management system, utilities, a shop and office building and dredging.

Small Projects At Small Ports

Whittier, Alaska.—Whittier Terminal Master Plan, $1,173,600. The project develops a comprehensive master plan evaluating the condition, performance, safety, efficiency, state of good repair, reliability, resiliency and sustainability of the Whittier Terminal.

Little Rock, Ark.—Port of Little Rock Mooring Upgrade Project, $3,079,845. The project restores and expands the port’s barge fleeting capacity on the Arkansas River by replacing 15 unsafe deadman ground anchors with steel monopile dolphins. It will install an additional 32 dolphins in other locations.

Granite City, Ill.—Granite City Harbor Extension Project, $4.14 million. The project funds improvements to a berth and cargo transfer location at the port’s Granite City facility, extending the length of the harbor’s wharf by nearly 30 percent and creating a half-acre of additional working space to support cargo dock operations.

Tell City, Ind.—Ohio River Pier Project, $1.6 million. The project funds construction of a 40-foot-diameter pier for a crane to be used for direct barge-to-truck unloading of cargo, allowing the crane to operate regardless of water levels. Once the new pier is operational, the old, structurally unsound pier will be demolished.

Paducah, Ky.—Bulk Yard Infrastructure Revitalization and Expansion Project, $3.32 million. The project funds several infrastructure improvements at the port, modernizing material handling equipment, repairing damaged facilities and upgrading site conditions in the port’s bulk yard.

Delcambre, La.—Port Resiliency Improvements, $2 million. The project includes a dock restoration and investments to establish an industrial fabrication facility at the port. They include dock refurbishments, debris removal, port slip improvements and the construction of several new small buildings.

Salem, Mass.—Small Port Infrastructure Improvements, $2,403,000. The project includes improvements and enhancements to the deep-water berth at the Port of Salem.

Alpena, Mich.—Improving Vessel Access For Sustained Viability, $3,751,623. The city of Alpena is partnering with Lafarge Alpena to modernize Lafarge Alpena’s port and land-side shipping facilities to meet increasing demand for the plant’s construction products.

Marquette, Mich.—Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Improving Efficiency, $1,617,750. The project will improve critical port infrastructure, dredge encroaching sediment to protect port infrastructure and deposit dredge materials on shore to enhance coastal restoration and protect road infrastructure at the Port of Marquette.

Saint Paul, Minn.—Barge Terminal 2 Dock Wall Rehabilitation, $4.14 million. The project funds replacement of the dock wall at the port’s Barge Terminal 2 built in 1964.

Aberdeen, Miss.—Aberdeen Port Rail Spur Connector, $4 million. The project funds construction of 12,200 linear feet of new rail spur to provide direct access between the port along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and the Kansas City Southern Railroad. 

Bay St. Louis, Miss.—Port Bienville Rail Storage Yard, $4.14 million. This project constructs a new rail storage yard to support existing port operations.

Morehead City, N.C.—Radio Island Rail Improvements Project, $1,679,904. This project includes rail improvements within a port facility to replace existing tracks with rail infrastructure meeting FRA Class 1 track safety standards.

Cleveland, Ohio.—Port of Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Study Project, $3 million. The project will conduct a harbor-wide and regional planning study for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority to address its comprehensive cargo handling, environmental and economic development needs in addition to regional level planning goals.

Ilwaco, Wash.—East Bulkhead Resilience Project, $2,444,138. The project includes reconstruction and rebuilding of a decades-old wooden bulkhead and related utilities to support transportation operations at the Port of Ilwaco.