The U. S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced Thursday it is accepting applications for marine highway program projects through April 20.
The department will award $9.5 million in grants for projects within the program previously designated by Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
“Marine highways are an efficient and cost-effective option for moving freight and passengers in America,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
Known as America’s Marine Highway Program, projects are a way to improve landside transportation by relieving congestion and increasing productivity, as well as to provide new, more efficient transportation options, the department said in a statement. Investments also create jobs in America’s ports and shipyards, as well as on marine highway vessels.
“Our country has 12,000 miles of navigable inland waterways,” said Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby. “By continuing to invest in them, we are investing in the continued success of our nation’s economy.”
Established as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the program is funded through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016. The waterways include rivers, bays, channels, coasts, the Great Lakes, open-ocean routes, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway System.
More information about the application process is available in the Federal Register. The deadline for the applications is 5 p.m. EST on April 10.