Port of Portland in line for $7.7M in federal funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that the Port of Portland will receive $7.7 million for infrastructure improvements and investments in equipment and technology.
“This major seaport is utilized daily by businesses and customers across our state, including L.L.Bean, Poland Spring water and Aroostook potato growers,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said in a prepared statement about the funding. “As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the Department of Transportation, I worked to ensure that the FASTLANE program was fully funded so it could provide the critically needed resources for transportation projects in Maine and across our country.”
The catalyst for the grant funding for the Port of Portland came from an April letter from Maine’s congressional delegation to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in support of the project.
The grant funding will help fund the following infrastructure improvements:
- Removing the existing maintenance facility and infill of the wharf.
- Installing a new mobile harbor crane and other cargo-handling equipment.
- Constructing a highway and a rail crossing upgrade.
- Building a terminal operations and maintenance center.
“The Port of Portland is a critical transportation hub that bolsters international trade and creates economic opportunity for Maine, and this welcome funding will help build on that positive impact,” U.S. Sen. Angus King said in a release. “This is an exciting time for the port and for all of Maine as we continue to build on trade opportunities and expand transportation infrastructure.”
Funding for the upgrades will be provided to the Maine Department of Transportation through the FASTLANE grant program, which was established in 2015 to provide funding for highways, roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure improvements.
The project, along with other projects that have been selected for funding under the FASTLANE program, will undergo a 60-day congressional review pursuant to the FAST Act.
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