[ Article originally appeared in www.porttechnology.org ]
The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced nearly $450 million in newly available grants for port-related projects.
The funding is set to be provided through the Port Infrastructure Development Plan (PIDP) and is the largest investment program ever implemented in the US.
These grants seek to help ports across the country expand capacity and improve the movement of goods through the supply chain following mass congestion over the last year.
The funding is made possible through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is nearly double last year’s investment in PIDP for states and port authorities.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest $17 billion in ports and waterways.
“We’re proud to announce this funding to help ports improve their infrastructure— to get goods moving more efficiently and help keep costs under control for American families,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“President Biden is leading the largest-ever federal investment in modernising our country’s ports, which will improve our supply chains and the lives of Americans who depend on them.”
These grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to support projects that will improve the movement of goods to, through and around ports.
The law calls on applicants to explore ways to include projects that will not just improve goods movement but also strengthen resilience, reduce emissions, and advance environmental justice.
Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley added: “The historic investments made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help remove bottlenecks by enabling ports to expand capacity and improve intermodal connections.
“The grant funds will also create new jobs across the US maritime industry.”
California is one of the worst affected regions in the US for congestion, this led to Governor Gavin Newsom investing $2.3 billion in the states’ ports through his 2022-2023 budget proposal.
The proposal, also known as “The California Blueprint”, aims to enhance operations at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach by addressing recent supply chain challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOURCE: https://www.porttechnology.org/news/us-invests-450-million-in-port-infrastructure-development-program/
