On Friday, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that five Washington state ports would receive nearly $71.5 million in federal grants for port infrastructure development.
Cantwell, the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said the ports – Port of Grays Harbor, Northwest Seaport Alliance Port of Seattle, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Port of Olympia, and the Port of Port Angeles – would receive grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).
The Port of Seattle will receive more than $17 million for ongoing expansion and emissions reduction work.
“Terminal 5 expansion is central to our strategy to reduce port congestion, strengthen the supply chain, and create more good-paying maritime jobs in Seattle,” Cantwell said. “This $17 million grant will fund new cargo storage space needed to reduce backlogs and improve export efficiency so our farmers and exporters can get their products on ships and delivered to markets around the world. This grant will also fund the construction of additional truck lanes and scales to improve movement of freight at the port, reduce delays, and lower costs facing shippers and consumers.”
Additional grants include $25.5 million for the Port of Grays Harbor for its Terminal 4 expansion and redevelopment project; $11 million for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Communities master plan, pier design, and boat ramp construction project; $9.3 million for the Port of Olympia’s seaport throughput improvement project and $8.6 million for the Port of Port Angeles’ intermodal handling and transfer facility improvements project.
In September 2021, in response to port congestion felt during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cantwell issued a letter calling for additional funding for the PIDP program to help alleviate ongoing congestion issues. A record $2.25 billion was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November.