U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg | transportation.gov
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Maritime administration is awarding $12.6 million in grants to nine projects across the country designed to improve transport on America’s waterways.
According to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release, the funds will be used to tackle a number of existing issues, including supply chain challenges as well as improvements for easier transport of products along the nation’s waterways.
“These investments through the America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods, more quickly and more efficiently,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in the release. “In this moment of record demand for goods and shipping, this is an important piece of the administration’s Port Action Plan to strengthen supply chains, modernize port operations and lower the cost of goods for American families.”
According to the DOT, America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP) was formed five years ago and has assisted a total of 52 marine highway projects, offering a financial boost to local economies with added jobs. The release also noted that 24 projects with a marine transportation focus have received awards totaling $44.6 million.
According to the press release, the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide $25 million for marine highway projects to spark increased utilization of waterways across the country, with the AMHP driving the use of marine highways for commerce. It also promotes the use of navigable water routes to ease highway congestion.
The release also noted that the grants will be used to expand existing marine freight programs in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. America’s marine highways also offer transportation alternatives for cargo transport as well as during instances of national emergency or disasters.
