The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the country under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

This funding will help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports.

A significant portion of domestic and international U.S. commerce by weight, (over 2.3 billion short tons) moves by water. According to a MARAD press release, the announced port improvement projects will strengthen supply chain reliability, create workforce development opportunities, speed up the movement of goods, and improve the safety, reliability and resilience of ports. These investments are part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history – nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“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.”

The PIDP’s mandate is to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the nation’s freight transportation needs. The program provides planning support, capital funding, and project management assistance to improve capacity and efficiency of ports in both urban and rural areas, as U.S. supply chains continue to recover from the pressures put on them by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At one point during the pandemic, more than a hundred ships were waiting to dock at West Coast ports. This contributed to inflationary prices. Today, there has been more than a 90% decrease in the number of container ships waiting for berths at U.S. ports, and global container shipping costs are down by more than 80% from their peak in 2021.

“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. “By funding port infrastructure development, the Biden-Harris Administration is ensuring that goods move reliably and in greater quantities, strengthening supply chain resiliency across all modes of transportation, and addressing the negative impacts of port operations on public health and the environment that have harmed communities living near ports.”

Projects were selected based on their ability to improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods, as well as on how well they would improve port resilience, and how well the project enhanced economic vitality, supported workforce development, addressed climate change and sustainability, and advanced equity.

Ports that will see improvements from the grants include:

Cold Bay, Alaska (Dock Infrastructure Replacement)
This project will include the design, permitting, and construction of a new dock to replace the community’s only existing dock, which is nearing the end of its useful service life.

Long Beach, California (North Harbor Transportation System Improvement Project)The project will add a third intermodal railroad track to the Dominguez Channel Bridge; relocate and modernize Pier B Street, on-dock roadways, and associated utilities; and realign Pico Avenue, including replacing and relocating aging utilities in the area.

Newark, New Jersey (Reconstruction of Berth PN-308 at Port Newark)

The project will reconstruct Berth PN-308. The new berth will have a 75-year service life, increase live load criteria from the current 500 pounds per square foot (psf) to 2,000 psf, and incorporate resiliency enhancements to the new structure such as a high-level platform and prestressed precast concrete planks.

North Bend, Oregon (Ko’Kwel Wharf Improvements Project)

The project will fund repairs to the dock facing Lot 2 of the Ko’Kwel Wharf, bring 800-amp service and a shore power outlet box to the wharf to reduce or eliminate the need for idling diesel engines, and include development phase activities leading to the future extension of the Wharf dock.

Ogdensburg, New York  (Port of Ogdensburg Terminal Expansion Project)

The project includes an approximately 435-linear-foot expansion of the Port of Ogdensburg’s main dock terminal along with installation of a mooring dolphin system and associated dredging necessary to establish a new roughly 100-foot-wide by 500-foot-long berthing area immediately adjacent to the new terminal dock wall structure.

Wabasha, Minnesota  (Wabasha Barge Terminal Project)

This project will construct a new inland river barge terminal at Upper Mississippi River Mile Marker 760 and develop the necessary access road and utilities to support its operation.

Wilmington, North Carolina  (North Gate Relocation and Access Optimization)

The project will construct approximately 4,000 feet of elevated roadway access to the general cargo terminal, relocate the North Gate security checkpoint, install a new gate operating system, improve existing at-grade railroad crossings, construct buildings for badging, guardhouse, and cargo control, construct a truck queuing area, and install EV charging infrastructure and solar panels.

Tacoma, Washington (Port of Tacoma Husky Terminal Expansion Port One) 
The project will reconfigure the Husky terminal yard for better truck circulation, install roughly 40 refrigerated cargo racks and related power supplies, and relocate on-terminal structures.

Freeport, Texas (Velasco Terminal Sustainable Expansion Project)

The project includes construction of a new approximately 36,900-square-foot cross-dock warehouse, related site improvements on a roughly 10-acre site, and a new terminal access truck gate.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin  (Agricultural Maritime Export Facility – Phase 2)
The project will construct two grain storage silos, make electrical service upgrades, and fund purchase of additional grain and cargo handling equipment to expand the capacity of the port to handle the movement of grain commodities.

Blencoe, Iowa  (Port of Blencoe Infrastructure Development Project) 

The project will establish a new port at a site along the Missouri River. The project will consist of constructing a new commodity handling facility, storage for liquid commodities, receiving and handling equipment, conveyors, elevating legs, and additional infrastructure development such as internal road construction and site leveling to accommodate use of the southern side of the property for heavy industrial use.

Fort Smith, Arkansas (River Valley Slackwater Harbor Project)
The project will construct a slackwater harbor off the main channel of the Arkansas River. The harbor will be approximately 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide and have the capacity to moor and offload up to eight barges at a time.

To stay informed on trade news and other important updates, stay connected with a customs broker.

Taking no chances with what appears to be increasingly likely a federal government shutdown starting Oct. 1, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) is leading an effort among 40 other trade associations to develop a comprehensive strategy with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) to ensure that legitimate trade is permitted to efficiently enter and exit US ports during a shutdown.

Specifically, the trade community requests:

  1. Private Sector Communication with the CBP “War Room” — The establishment and staffing of a CBP War Room that will work with the private-sector trade community to establish a direct line of communication for the private sector to inform the War Room in real-time on issues that must be resolved in a timely fashion to keep trade moving throughout any shutdown.
  2. PGA presence in the CBP War Room — PGA staff should be fully integrated into the CBP War Room, especially those agencies with hold authority, including FDA, USDA, FWS, EPA, and CPSC, that must clear goods before they can enter the stream of commerce, along with the TSA due to its important border security responsibilities. As well, continuing to provide technical support to ensure ACE is operating normally during any potential shutdown.
  3. CBP HQ, ports, and Centers must coordinate — During prior shutdowns, the private-sector trade community experienced breakdowns in communication between CBP HQ, the local ports, and the Centers (formerly CEEs), which caused needless inefficiencies in moving trade. To prevent this from happening again, CBP should pre-plan coordination with the Centers and the local ports.
  4. CBP daily briefings with the private sector — In past lapses of government funding, CBP did an incredible service to the trade by holding daily briefings. CBP should restart this best practice, so that any issues can be swiftly identified and resolved. PGAs with hold authority should attend these daily briefings in order to ensure that all parties are working together in a coordinated manner to keep trade moving.
  5. Trade must flow both ways — The trade community emphasizes that trade must continue moving in both directions for the duration of any lapse in government funding. Export operations and related processes, including licenses, inspections, impractical to screen cargo, and the like, must be able to flow inbound as well as outbound across the borders during a shutdown.
  6. All tangential trade functions must be considered essential — All Tangential Trade Functions Must be Considered Essential — The government is urged to consider tangential trade functions when deciding which employees are exempt. Examples include the issuance of steel and aluminum licenses via the Department of Commerce, EPA inspection sites, all PGA staff who conduct document reviews or technical staff to resolve automation issues, UFLPA focused-employees who review and release detained shipments, personnel who process paper checks at the ports, personnel who conduct inspections for self-propelled used vehicle exports, and USDA certificate personnel for U.S. exports. These should be deemed essential so that trade can continue to move.

“While we remain hopeful that a government shutdown can still be avoided, the current political environment in Washington is making us take a cautious approach,” said NCBFAA President Jose D. “JD” Gonzalez. “That is why it’s imperative for us to take action with CBP and the PGAs now in order that we can work with these agencies to keep our nation’s trade moving efficiently and securely.”

NCBFAA has already developed a special Government Shutdown webpage on its NCBFAA.org website in which timely informational updates related to trade from CBP and the PGAs for customs broker, freight forwarder and NVOCC members and their customers will be available.

“NCBFAA will keep its members informed with real-time information about what they need to know in order to perform their day-to-day business activities during the shutdown,” said NCBFAA Executive Vice President Megan Montgomery. “It’s all-hands-on-deck in our association.”

Who is the NCBFAA?

Established in 1897, the NCBFAA represents more than 1,200-member companies in international trade -the nation’s leading freight forwarders, customs brokers, ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs), NVOCCs and air cargo agents, serving more than 250,000 importers and exporters. Through its various committees, counsel and representatives, the Association maintains a close watch over legislative and regulatory issues that affect its members.

To stay informed on trade news and other important updates, stay connected with a customs broker.