Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced the Port of Philadelphia will receive $246 million to further modernize its infrastructure. The governor’s office put forward a $300 million Capital Investment Program in 2016 and the latest injection of cash will augment the upgrading process.
“The port is an economic driver, not only in Philadelphia, but across the commonwealth. The port supports jobs, encourages trade, and builds connections that help businesses and communities across Pennsylvania thrive,” Gov. Wolf reportedly said. “This new $246 million investment will help the port build on its success over the past few years and will help Pennsylvania build on our commonwealth’s economic success and job growth, too.”
The renewed effort comes after some major ports emerged as the source of supply chain bottlenecks. Overwhelmed by import containers as the economy came back online, the Port of Philly experienced balanced, but still double-digit traffic growth. Container volumes increased by 15 percent to 739,323 TEUs, with imports up 16 percent and exports growing by 15 percent in 2021. The port far exceeded its total TEU measure of 640,799 in 2020.
“It has been an interesting year full of challenges and opportunities. Not only did we surge in container volumes, but some BCOs (beneficial cargo owners) shifted to breakbulk shipments. PhilaPort is one of the only U.S. ports that has several facilities that are purpose-built to handle breakbulk,” port CEO Jeff Theobald reportedly said. “PhilaPort steel volumes were up 196 percent, cocoa volumes went up 106 percent, and wood pulp and lumber volumes increased over 10 percent.”
The proactive measures taken back in 2016 may have saved the Port of Philly from the logistical nightmares experienced at the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles. The Port of Philly broke ground on a new distribution center in March 2021 to expand its regional profile. It also received a $49 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation last year. The money is expected to be put to work furthering the development of a multi-functional Southport berth.
“The Port of Philadelphia is one of the most critical links in the country’s supply chain. Its success is vital to the economic health of Pennsylvania and its impacts ripple throughout the commonwealth. This investment will create jobs not only at the port, but also for workers who transport goods across the region and the country,” Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Bob Casey reportedly said. “Investing in our ports will ease the economic challenges Pennsylvania families are facing by making operations smoother, getting goods to people faster, and helping lower the costs of some of those everyday items families need.
The Port of Philadelphia was ranked 14th in terms of volume in 2020. As a central location with access to I-95, more than 1,500 reefer trucks and specialized trucks move loads on a weekly basis.
Sources: kpvi.com, porttechnology.com, philaport.com
another nice place to visit and get the hell out quickly
They don’t call it Filthadelphia for nothing.
The armpit of Pa.