Port of Cleveland Wins $3M USDOT Grant

The Port of Cleveland will receive a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

A USDOT fact sheet said the port will use the funding to conduct a comprehensive planning study that will address cargo handling, environmental, and economic development needs, in addition to regional-level planning goals.

The six components of the study will include a market analysis, a terminal capacity analysis, an intermodal connection assessment, a plan for port de-carbonization, a coastal resilience plan, and a regional-level cargo capability study.

The port is overseen by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

The Cleveland port is one of 25 receiving grants from the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program

A USDOT news release said the ports are sharing $241 million in grant funding for fiscal year 2021.

The three-year-old PIDP program providing grants to port facility for freight infrastructure improvements that boost capacity and efficiency.

Other ports receiving grants are located in Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan.

Tell City, Indiana, will receive $1.6 million for the Ohio River Pier Project to fund fund construction of a 40-foot diameter pier for a crane that will be used for direct barge-to-truck unloading of cargo. The pier design will allow the crane to operate regardless of water levels.

In Paducah, Kentucky, the Bulk Yard Infrastructure Revitalization and Expansion Project will receive $3,3 million for several related infrastructure improvements at the port.

The improvements modernize the port’s material handling equipment, repair damaged facilities, and upgrade site conditions in the port’s Bulk Yard.

In Alpena, Michigan, $3.7 million was awarded to the city which is partnering with Lafarge Alpena to upgrade and modernize that company’s port and landside shipping facilities to meet the increasing demand for the plant’s construction products.

Project improvements include berth dredging to increase the water depths within the port basin to satisfy larger vessels, stone dock demolition to increase the overall area for vessels to access the site, new mooring dolphins, the addition of a roof for a storage building, demolition of a storage building, and maritime security upgrades.

In Marquette, Michigan, $1.6 million was awarded for a project to improve  port infrastructure, dredge encroaching sediment to protect port infrastructure, and deposit dredge materials on shore to enhance coastal restoration and protect road infrastructure at the Port of Marquette.

Tags: Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority, federal grants, federal transportation grants, Port Infrastructure Development Program, Port of Cleveland, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Maritime Administration