AASHTO Journal - MARAD Providing $230M in Grant Funding for Ports

The Maritime Administration recently issued a notice of funding opportunity for $230 million in discretionary grant funding for port and intermodal infrastructure-related projects through its Port Infrastructure Development Program or PIDP, with an application deadline of July 30. The minimum award size is $1 million.

[Above photo via the Port of Tampa Bay.]

To provide technical assistance, the U.S. Department of Transportation plans to host a series of webinars during the PIDP grant application process.

“Our nation’s ports are a key part of our critical infrastructure. They create jobs and make our economy more resilient and sustainable,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “This funding will build upon local investments in infrastructure to deliver long-term economic benefits to American workers and communities, while also addressing climate and equity.”

He added that over the past two years, 12 percent of PIDP grant applicants included the anticipated development of wind energy facilities and the movement of wind energy components as part of their project proposals. To that end, this 2021 round of grant funding intends to bolster such efforts, Secretary Buttigieg said.

In keeping with the priorities of the Biden-Harris administration, the review process will also consider how proposed projects address climate change and environmental justice impacts and advance racial equity, reduce barriers to opportunity, and meet challenges faced by rural areas.

“State and local authorities are working to position ports to take advantage of a clean energy economy,” noted Lucinda Lessley, acting maritime administrator. “These infrastructure grants will continue to bolster their efforts while creating jobs in these communities and the U.S. maritime industry as a whole.”

Previous grants have supported projects such as infrastructure resiliency and shore-side improvements to facilitate wind energy projects.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021, for example, made $230 million available to the PIDP, with $205 million reserved for grants to coastal seaports and Great Lakes ports.