By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Division on Friday stated it’s awarding $12.6 million in grants for 9 marine freeway tasks as a part of ongoing efforts to enhance ports and handle provide chain points.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated in an announcement the funds “will assist us transfer extra items, extra shortly and extra effectively” and ease the motion of products alongside navigable waterways.

The $1 trillion infrastructure legislation signed final month by President Joe Biden offers an extra $25 million to assist marine freeway tasks past Friday’s awards.

In complete, Congress accepted $17 billion to revamp U.S. ports.

Many U.S. ports have bridge or depth limitations that limit their capacity to obtain bigger vessels, whereas a surge of cargo is straining land operations at some ports.

The marine freeway program “ encourages  using America’s navigable waterways for the motion of freight and other people as a substitute for land-based  transportation,” stated Appearing Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.

The brand new awards embrace $1.4 million to assist fund a brand new bridge crane in Kentucky to move metal merchandise by inland river barge from the Ports of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Indiana.

A $1 million grant for a North Carolina container on barge shuttle operation  which can remove some truck site visitors. At the moment containerized cargo sure for the Port of Virginia from Edenton, N.C. should attain its vacation spot by way of vehicles.  

A undertaking to switch a deck barge for deliveries in New York Harbor between New York and New Jersey is receiving $1.5 million. The undertaking will permit for deliveries of as much as 36 trailers between Brooklyn and Newark  on  one each day spherical journey, 260 days per 12 months.

A Houston, Texas space undertaking is getting $3 million to assist fund two purpose-built barges to move as much as 56,000 containers yearly to and from surrounding ports.  

The Virginia Port Authority is getting $3 million to  enhance lighting inside the Richmond Marine Terminal perimeter  permitting for barge operations past daylight.