MarAd Announces PIDP Grant Recipients
Three ports along the inland river system were awarded a Port Infrastructure Development Grant November 15 in the latest round of funding.
In total, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) announced it plans to invest nearly $580 million in 31 port improvement projects in 15 states and one U.S. territory.
The grants are aimed at increasing capacity and efficiency at ports as well as strengthening supply chain reliability, creating workforce opportunity, enhancing freight efficiency, lowering costs, reducing emissions and improving safety, reliability and resilience of the ports, MarAd said in the announcement.
“America’s ports are essential to our nation’s supply chains, and thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, we have projects underway all across the country—from Long Beach to Milwaukee to Monroe—that are making it possible for our ports to move more goods each year and keep costs down for families,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said. “With the investments we’re announcing today, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re building on this good work and funding more projects that will expand capacity, improve efficiency and facilitate the quicker movement of goods at ports in more than a dozen states.”
MarAd’s Port Infrastructure Development Program received $2.25 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program provides planning support, capital funding and project management assistance.
“Modernizing America’s port infrastructure is essential to strengthening the multimodal network that supports our nation’s supply chain,” Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips said. “Approximately 2.3 billion short tons of goods move through U.S. waterways each year, and the benefits of developing port infrastructure extend far beyond the maritime sector. This funding enhances the flow and capacity of goods moved, bolstering supply chain resilience across all transportation modes, and addressing the environmental and health impacts on port communities.”
Hennepin, Ill.
The Hennepin Barge Terminal and Soybean Logistics Asset on the Illinois River was awarded $38,582,711.
The project will build a new, roughly 700-foot loading dock, conveyor systems and storage systems for soybean meal, soybean oil and soybean hulls.
Hardin, Ill.
The Hardin, Ill., River Terminal Elevator Project on the Illinois River was awarded $9 million.
The project consists of construction of two new storage bins (one at the Hardin facility and one at the Jerseyville facility under the same ownership), a new loadout conveyor belt and river cell loading tower at the Hardin terminal, the installation of roughly 11 mooring dolphins, replacement of the scale house at the Hardin terminal and road improvements on Park Street near the Hardin terminal.
Mount Vernon, Ind.
The Mount Vernon Port Transload and Railyard on the Ohio River was awarded $11,249,000.
The project will construct a new railyard and transload facility within the Mount Vernon Port.
Work includes construction of approximately 20,000 total feet of rail track, roughly five acres of paved roadways and an outdoor laydown area, a new truck entrance to the port, five new rail-truck transload zones, truck marshalling areas and a multipurpose container/cargo storage yard. It also includes the purchase and installation of a new truck scale, a scale house and facility lighting and security improvements.
