The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced Wednesday that $25 million in funding for America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP) is available to support the development and expanded use of America’s navigable waterways and improve the country’s supply chains.
The new resources, allocated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, represent the largest funding amount appropriated to the AMHP.
“America’s waterways are a vital means for getting goods onto our shelves and into our homes,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Thanks to these investments, and others like them in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can help create jobs, reduce delays, and strengthen our critical supply chains for decades to come.”
AMHP supports the increased use of the country’s navigable waterways to relieve landside congestion, provide new and efficient transportation options, and increase the productivity of the surface transportation system.
“This historic funding for the Marine Highways program will expand waterborne transportation options while helping project sponsors increase energy conservation, improve safety, reduce landside infrastructure costs, and reduce travel delays caused by congestion. This investment will also create well-paying maritime jobs,” said Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.
Projects must have previously been designated as a Marine Highway Project by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to be eligible for grant funding. Applications for grants are due by 5 p.m. on April 29, 2022.