Berth 32 at Port of Jacksonville, USA, Receives $40 Million Federal Grant

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 29, the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) announced that it has received a $40 million grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program for the modernization and reconstruction of Berth 32 at the Blount Island Marine Terminal. The project will reconstruct approximately 900 feet (274 meters) of berth, enhance structural load-bearing capacity, and upgrade cargo handling infrastructure. The grant is part of MARAD's current round of $498 million in funding covering 35 port projects across 19 states.

The scope of work corresponding to this grant has been specified in congressional disclosure documents. The specific contents of the Berth 32 reconstruction include: bulkhead replacement, localized dredging, piling, new toe wall construction, concrete deck reconstruction, heavy-duty shore crane rails, fiber optic conduit, utility upgrades, and high-mast lighting. Among these, the heavy-duty shore crane rails are the core engineering item of this upgrade, directly addressing JAXPORT's need to deploy shore cranes with greater lifting capacity in the future, rather than merely repairing the berth surface. JAXPORT defines the project as "Phase One of Berth Modernization at the Blount Island Marine Terminal."

According to Florida's federal legislators, the 900-foot reconstruction of Berth 32 is the first step in the overall modernization of approximately 2,500 feet spanning Berths 30 through 32, with the goal of enabling Blount Island to fully utilize JAXPORT's existing 47-foot channel and accommodate Panamax and post-Panamax vessels. It is not the entirety of Berth 32, but rather the first segment of construction in the overall 2,500-foot shoreline renewal sequence.

The $40 million PIDP grant is dedicated specifically to the actual reconstruction construction of Berth 32 and does not alter the pace of preliminary work at Berths 30 and 31.