en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently allocated $136.8 million to 12 maritime projects, specifically for constructing cargo handling infrastructure nationwide, upgrading docks and berths, and developing port planning initiatives.
These maritime awards are part of the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program. In this round, the program allocated $17.3 billion to 127 infrastructure projects, receiving nearly 1,200 eligible applications with a total request exceeding $14.5 billion.
The project receiving the largest grant is the Ports of Indiana, which secured $25 million for its expansion at the Jeffersonville, Ind. port on the Ohio River. The project, with a total investment of $32 million, plans to transform an underutilized area into a high-throughput intermodal terminal, equipped with a new 300-ton crane system, a 6,500-square-foot dock, and a 22,000-square-foot warehouse. Upon completion, the port's lifting capacity will increase from 35 tons to 300 tons, and barge-to-rail transfer capacity will double. Jody Peacock, CEO of Ports of Indiana, stated in a press release that the project is transformative for the Jeffersonville port and the entire southern Indiana region, with an expected completion date of 2028.
The second-largest maritime grant was awarded to the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority (PMCRA) in Kentucky, amounting to $24 million for the first phase of the Riverport West project. Plans include constructing a new 200-foot public barge dock adjacent to a 1,000-acre rail facility with access to three Class I railroads. The initial phase will build the first berth and supporting landside infrastructure, with future plans to expand into a three-berth terminal with full rail connectivity. Jimmie Garrett, Executive Director of PMCRA, stated that this grant is a key milestone in making Riverport West a catalyst for economic growth in western Kentucky.
In Washington state, the Port of Bellingham received $23.5 million for the second phase of the Bellingham Shipping Terminal North Dock rehabilitation project, including rebuilding dock infrastructure, enhancing deck load capacity, and upgrading mooring systems. Port Commission President Michael Shepard called it a significant milestone in modernizing the shipping terminal, strengthening working waterfronts, and creating and sustaining jobs.
The Eastport Port Authority in Maine received $19.7 million to rehabilitate and modernize a 45-year-old fisheries dock and extend the existing breakwater by 97 feet. Project supporters noted that the fisheries dock has severely deteriorated and faces structural failure risks, with the breakwater extension aimed at improving wave attenuation and protecting the inner harbor.
Other capital grants include: the Port Authority of Guam receiving $12.9 million to construct a fuel pipeline system connecting the F1 and Golf commercial fuel terminals, involving approximately three 10-inch pipelines for transporting motor gasoline, ultra-low sulfur diesel, and Jet A-1 aviation fuel; the North Carolina State Port Authority receiving $9.8 million to improve access, parking, security, and cargo movement; and the Alaska Railroad Corporation receiving $8.5 million to widen the Port of Seward freight dock to a uniform width of approximately 300 feet.
Five additional maritime grants were allocated for planning efforts, covering: development of the Cape Shepard regional port and highland facilities in Alaska, design work for the Elim Subsistence Harbor, a feasibility study for an approximately 300-ton mobile boat lift and associated shipyard at Port Isabel, Texas, a multimodal master plan for the Central Louisiana Regional Port, and construction drawings for the reconstruction of working waterfronts at Broad Creek, Virginia.
