The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $136.8 million in grants to 12 maritime projects, funding new cargo-handling infrastructure, dock and pier upgrades, and port development planning across the country.
The maritime awards are part of $1.73 billion awarded to 127 infrastructure projects through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program. USDOT received nearly 1,200 eligible applications requesting more than $14.5 billion.
The largest maritime award went to Ports of Indiana, which received $25 million toward a $32 million expansion of its Jeffersonville, Ind., port on the Ohio River.
The project will redevelop an underused area into a high-volume multimodal terminal with a new 300-ton crane system, 6,500-sq.-ft. dock, and 22,000-sq.-ft. warehouse. Once complete, the expansion is expected to increase the port's lift capacity from 35 tons to 300 tons and double barge-rail transloading capacity.
“This is a transformational project for our Jeffersonville port and the entire Southern Indiana region,” Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock said in a statement.
The project is expected to be completed in 2028.
The Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority (PMCRA) in Kentucky received the next-largest maritime award, $24 million, to construct the first phase of Riverport West.
Plans call for a new 200' public barge terminal adjacent to a 1,000-acre rail facility with access to three Class I railroads. The initial phase will include the first berth and supporting landside infrastructure. Future phases are planned to expand the site into a three-berth terminal with full rail connectivity.
“These grant funds mark a critical milestone in positioning Riverport West as a catalyst for economic growth across Western Kentucky,” PMCRA Executive Director Jimmie Garrett said.
In Washington, the Port of Bellingham received $23.5 million for the second phase of its North Pier rehabilitation project at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. The work will rebuild pier infrastructure, strengthen deck loading capacity, and upgrade mooring systems.
“This grant is a major milestone in our long-term effort to modernize the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, strengthen our active working waterfront, and create and sustain family-wage jobs,” Port Commission President Michael Shepard said.
The Eastport Port Authority in Maine was awarded $19.7 million to rehabilitate and modernize its 45-year-old fish pier and extend the port's existing breakwater by 97'. The fish pier has deteriorated to a critical condition and is at risk of structural failure, according to project supporters. The breakwater extension is designed to improve wave attenuation and protect the inner harbor.
Other capital awards include $12.9 million for the Port Authority of Guam to construct a fuel pipeline system connecting the F1 and Golf commercial fuel piers. The project includes approximately three 10" pipelines for motor gasoline, ultra-low sulfur diesel, and Jet A-1 fuel.
The North Carolina State Port Authority received $9.8 million for access, parking, security, and freight movement improvements, while the Alaska Railroad Corporation was awarded $8.5 million to widen the Port of Seward's freight dock to a uniform width of approximately 300'.
Five additional maritime awards will fund planning work. Those projects include development of the Shepard Point regional port and uplands facility in Alaska, design work for the Elim Subsistence Harbor, and a feasibility study for an approximately 300-ton mobile boat lift and accompanying shipyard in Port Isabel, Texas.
BUILD funding will also support a multimodal master plan for the Central Louisiana Regional Port and construction-ready designs for the redevelopment of a working waterfront on Broad Creek in Virginia.
