TxDOT Approves Port Upgrade Grants

The Texas Department of Transport has approved grants totalling US$40 million for the improvement and upgrade of ports.
 
Fourteen projects were selected by the Port Authority Advisory Committee (PAAC) in March and have now been approved by the TxDOT. Funding will be used to support improved and widened public roadways, extension of shipping channels, improved signage and gates and upgraded intersections near Texas ports.
 
“These funds come from the Texas Mobility Fund or other eligible sources,” the TxDOT said in a statement, adding that the most recent round of funding would be delivered under Rider 38.
 
14 projects
 
The largest portion of the funding will go to Port Freeport, with over US$8.7 million granted to widen SH 36 from two to four-lane divided roadway from Brazos River Bridge to FM 1495.

Port of Corpus Christi received US$6.7 million in funding for two projects: with US$3.8 million for expanding Rincon Road and a further US$3 million to upgrade the Joe Fulton International Corridor. Both projects will feature the installation of intelligent transportation system components.

Port of Harlingen was award a US$5.26 million grant to construct queuing area and expand Robies Road from FM 1846 to Arroyo Colorado.

Other ports and projects receiving grants were:
• Port of Galveston, US$3.75 million to construct a new cruise corridorand four-lane access roads.
• Mansfield, US$2.9 million for a two-phase project to construct a new queuing area for a container-on-barge service.
• West Calhoun, US$2.4 million two expand Long Mott Access Road.
• Calhoun Navigation, US$2 million for improvements to FM 1593.
• Palacios, US$1.7 million to construct a box culvert and drainage improvements at SH 35 and 12th Street.
• Port of Beaumont, US$1.57 million to construct an illuminated truck queuing area at Emmett and Pennsylvania avenues.
• Port Arthur, US$1.5 million for a two-part project to construct two truck queuing areas.
• Victoria, US$1.4 million to construct queuing lanes on Weaver Road and a right turn lane on FM 1432.
• Port Houston, US$1.1 million to construct 9,400 linear feet of a five-lane divided roadway with a two-way turn lane at Market Street to Jacintoport Boulevard. At the start of the year, Port Houston received a federal grant of US$21.8 million to help increase berth space and support cargo volume growth.
• Sambine Port, US$874,177 to reconstruct First Avenue from Broadway Avenue to the port entrance.


Federal support

At the national level Congress is reportedly considering new legislation to provide direct grant support to ports to replace revenues lost by state and local governments as result of the nationwide shutdowns.

Kevin O’Toole, chairman of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, said: “Congress should provide the port authority with direct financial assistance – to soften the agency’s very large revenue losses so as to protect the agency’s capital plan – and by doing so, to secure the region’s recovery.”

The New York-New Jerse port authority is calling for about US$3 billion to compensate for losses due to the coronavirus crisis over the next 24 months.
 

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