The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) recently made $25 million in grant funding available through its America’s Marine Highway Program or AMHP, which supports the development and expanded use of America’s navigable waterways to help improve the nation’s supply chains and the movement of goods throughout the country.
[Above photo by Missouri DOT]
That new grant funding comes from the $1.2 trillion Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act, signed into law in November 2021.
“America’s waterways are a vital means for getting goods onto our shelves and into our homes,” explained USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement.
“Thanks to these investments … we can help create jobs, reduce delays, and strengthen our critical supply chains for decades to come,” he said.
Those grants dovetail with the Biden administration’s Port Action Plan, unveiled in November 2021, which aims to accelerate investment in the country’s ports, waterways, and freight networks.
“This funding for the Marine Highways program will expand waterborne transportation options while helping project sponsors increase energy conservation, improve safety, reduce landside infrastructure costs, and reduce travel delays caused by congestion,” added Lucinda Lessley, MARAD’s acting administrator.
This round of grant funding follows the award of $12.6 million in grants to nine marine highway projects nationwide via the agency’s AMHP in December 2021.
MARAD said those awards help address supply chain disruptions, enhance the movement of goods along the country’s navigable waterways, and expand existing waterborne freight services in 11 states: Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
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