The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced that 41 different port improvement projects across the country will be awarded a combined $653 million as part of the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). These investments will strengthen supply chain resilience, improve safety and efficiency of port facilities, and create new jobs. The PIDP is part of the larger $17 billion earmarked in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for port and maritime-specific projects.
“Everything from the food we eat to the cars we drive to the lumber and steel used to build our homes passes through America’s ports, making them some of the most critical links in our nation’s supply chain,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “These investments will help expand capacity and speed up the movement of goods through our ports, contributing to cleaner air and more good-paying jobs as we go.”
In addition to capital funding for these improvements, the PIDP also provides planning support and project management assistance. Nearly half of the ports receiving PIDP funding are smaller facilities which will benefit greatly from the increase in economic activity. Many of the PIDP investments will strengthen the connection between ports and freight transportation on land.
“Modernizing the nation’s port infrastructure is vital to the reinforcement of America’s multimodal system for transporting goods. The advantages of cargo movement on water extend well beyond the maritime domain,” said Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips.
A significant number of these projects will be underway in areas where the Maritime Trades Departments’ Port Maritime Councils are active.
Long Beach, California (home of the PMC of Southern California) will receive $52 million for pier modernization and increasing truck and rail freight capacity. Up the Pacific Coast, the Puget Sound Ports Council will benefit from an expansion project at Tacoma, Washington’s Husky terminal. Several port infrastructure projects in the Houston area are slated for PIDP funding, to the delight of our West Gulf Ports Council.
The East Coast will see its fair share of investments as well. Both New England and New York/New Jersey Port Councils are in the vicinity of several PIDP sites. A new container yard in Wilmington, Delaware and an offshore wind port in Paulsboro, New Jersey will be boons to the Delaware Valley PMC. Similarly, the Baltimore and Hampton Roads PMCs can look forward to multi-million dollar investments in their offshore wind port facilities.
For a full list of the PIDP awards, consult MARAD’s list here. The Maritime Trades Department applauds this major investment in the U.S.’s maritime infrastructure and hopes that it is just the start of a renaissance across America’s ports.