DOT Funds 9 Maritime Highway Projects

With supply chains in knots, the federal government awards $12.6 million to fund nine marine highway projects to improve freight movement along navigable waterways by eliminating truck driving jobs.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) grants are part of overlapping efforts facilitated by America’s Marine Highway Program, and Biden-Harris Port Action Plan, to prepare infrastructure for growing imports and exports. Projects that secured the grant funding are reportedly located in Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

“These investments through the America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods, more quickly and more efficiently,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reportedly said. “In this moment of record demand for goods and shipping, this is an important piece of the Administration’s Port Action Plan to strengthen supply chains, modernize port operations, and lower the cost of goods for American families.”

Although the federal government’s focus appears to be easing supply chain logjams, truck drivers will not necessarily benefit from the awards. In North Carolina, $1 million was awarded for equipment related to a barge shuttle system. The USDOT-funded project seeks to reduce or eliminate truckloads moving from Edenton, N.C., to the Port of Virginia. There will be fewer truck drivers hauling containers. Other projects include the following.

• Delaware and New Jersey: Cape May – Lewes Ferry awarded $600,000.
• Hawaii: Hawaii Commercial Harbors System Shipping Services awarded $200,475.
• Indiana and Kentucky: M-70 Barge Service in the Ports of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Beyond awarded $1,408,000.
• Louisiana and Tennessee: Baton Rouge-New Orleans Shuttle Service awarded $847,500.
• New Jersey: Mid-Atlantic Barge Service awarded $1,010,800.
• New York and New Jersey: New York Harbor Container and Trailer-on-Barge Service awarded $1,470,000.
• Texas: Chambers County-Houston Container on Barge Expansion Service awarded $3,000,000.
• Virginia: James River Container Expansion Project awarded $3,048,363.

“These investments through the America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods more quickly and more efficiently, and help our agricultural exports get goods to market,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki boasted.

The Biden Administration official went on to tout sending money to the Port of Savannah to support largely private-sector initiatives to bolster container storage locations.

“The announcement follows the successful first step of the port action plan, which provided the Port of Savannah $8 million to set up container yards in Georgia and North Carolina, freeing up dock space and speeding up the flow of goods in and out of the port,” Psaki reportedly said. “Three container sites are already in operation in Savannah, Statesboro, and Atlanta, and are already supporting Georgia businesses such as Home Depot, Carter, and agricultural exporters.”

Along with the $12.6 million for nine maritime highway-related projects, the $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package makes an additional $25 million available for the Port Infrastructure Development Program. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has reportedly received $44.6 million since 2016 and provided funding for 24 projects to reduce truck driving opportunities. Its mandate involves bolstering waterway freight operations to minimize tractor-trailer movement and wear and tear on roadways.

Sources: ajot.com, gcaptain.com