Maritime Administration (MARAD) officials said the agency has launched a Port Planning & Investment Toolkit Marine Highway module to aid ports in planning, evaluating, and financing freight transportation projects.
“This Toolkit will help the development of future port projects and improve the nation’s long-term efficiency and economic competitiveness,” Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.
Authorities indicated the MARAD and American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)-produced Toolkit helps guide ports toward productive investments.
“By working together, we are helping to support investments in our ports that will pay dividends for years to come,” Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby said. “I am pleased that the new module of the Toolkit focuses on investments in America’s Marine Highways, which can help reduce traffic congestion and related pollution by moving cargoes off our crowded highways and onto our nation’s navigable waterways.”
The Toolkit assists metropolitan and regional planning organizations and state agencies in qualifying for formula funding or aid; better positions marine highway projects for federal aid; and assists ports in obtaining private sector investments.
MARAD indicated the module would be periodically updated as new regulations and policies impacting marine highway planning, feasibility, and investment requirements related to the applicable laws discussed in the document are developed.