The Port of New Bedford in Massachusetts has received a USD 15.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation which will be used for expanding and improving the infrastructure.
The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant will help the port extend its bulkhead, making room for 60 additional commercial vessels and providing an additional site for offshore wind activities.
The project is also said to sequester 250,000 cubic yards of contaminated materials and provide for the beneficial use of 130,000 cubic yards of sediment.
To remind, the Port of New Bedford applied for the government grant in October 2017 seeking to make room for an increase in activities.
In July, Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, together with Representative Bill Keating, sent a letter to the Department of Transportation urging for the grant.
“Christmas has come early for the Port of New Bedford, and all of the hard-working fishermen, off-shore wind stagers, and residents who rely on the Port’s success,” said Markey , member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee.
“With this BUILD Grant, New Bedford will be able to make much needed improvements and expansions to the Port, while eradicating harmful environmental contaminants. It’s a simple formula: better infrastructure equals more commercial activity, and more commercial activity equals greater economic development and job creation for New Bedford and the South Shore.”
According to Representative Keating, the fund will unlock the potential of the harbor and the city, support the fishing industry, create hundreds of new and permanent local jobs, as well as lead to increased state and private investment in New Bedford’s commercial sector.