A selection of 37 projects was chosen to receive funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Mega and INFRA programs totaling $4.9 billion, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced on January 25.
"Every American relies upon and benefits from a safe and effective intermodal freight network,” said IANA CEO Joni Casey, in a statement. “We applaud Congress for allocating these funds through the BIL and the Administration for awarding projects that will support and spur economic growth.”
The Mega Program, also known as the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, funds large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits.
Congress established the program in 2021 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and dedicated $5 billion to the program over a five-year period. The most recent awards were the second round of funding, worth roughly $2 billion.
The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. The most recent annual program funding amount is $3.1 billion and the annual award amount is $1.5 billion.
Four IANA members received $728 million in this round of Mega and INFRA funding:
America’s Green Gateway: Pier B Rail Program Buildout, Long Beach, California
Port of Long Beach; Port of Los Angeles
The project will complete the Pier B On-Dock Rail support Facility Program by significantly enhancing container-on-rail service to and from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge Replacement Project, City of Stuart, Florida
Florida East Coast Railway
The project will replace the existing 100-year-old St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge with a new double-track structure. By diverting freight traffic to rail, the project will increase safety for marine traffic, decrease the potential for blocked grade crossings and vehicle collisions, and shift single occupancy vehicles to safer passenger rail travel.
East River Berth Replacement Project, Garden City, Georgia
Georgia Ports Authority
The project will replace a port berth and two vessel berths at the Port of Brunswick's East River Terminal and will also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by supporting a modal shift from truck to rail for the transportation of commodities to the Port of Brunswick.
Louisiana International Terminal Project, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
Port of New Orleans
The project will construct a new container terminal on the Gulf Coast for the Port of New Orleans that is not air-draft restricted and can accommodate larger vessels.
