Ports of Indiana has been awarded a $25 million federal BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of a $32 million expansion of its Jeffersonville port. The company said the grant is the largest federal award in Ports of Indiana’s 65-year history, more than double the previous high for any Indiana port. The company said the expansion is also the Jeffersonville port’s largest single infrastructure investment since opening in 1985.
The project will more than double the facility’s general cargo capacity and increase the port’s lift capacity from 35 tons to 300 tons, the company said.
“Indiana’s ports are essential to keeping our economy moving, and this $25 million BUILD grant is a major investment in our state’s future,” said Indiana Governor Mike Braun. “Expanding our Jeffersonville port’s capacity to move cargo by river, rail and truck will create new opportunities for Indiana manufacturers, farmers and businesses while supporting high-quality jobs across Southern Indiana.”
How the program works
The BUILD program, which stands for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, is administered by USDOT to provide grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact, the company said. This week, USDOT awarded $1.73 billion in BUILD grants to 127 projects from 1,200 applications, the company said.
What the grant will fund
The grant will fund a redevelopment of an underutilized area along the Ohio River into a high-volume multimodal terminal, the company said. The project includes a new 300-ton crane system, a 6,500-square-foot dock, and a 22,000-square-foot warehouse designed to improve efficiency and expand heavy-lift and breakbulk capabilities, the company said…