DOT awards $12.7M grant to port

MOBILE, Ala. - The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the Alabama State Port Authority a $12.7M grant to convert an abandoned bulk handling facility at the Port of Mobile into a roll-on, roll-off mobile vehicle processing facility. “This project will add needed capability to this region of the Gulf of Mexico and greatly enhance the Alabama State Port Authority’s ability to serve the automotive and equipment industries,” said Alabama State Port Authority Director Jimmy Lyons. The total project is valued at about $60M, he said. The grant was awarded as part of DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program. Following renovation, the facility will be capable of handling automobiles, military vehicles, trucks, other rolling stock, and heavy cargo. The Mobile port is the nation’s 10th largest seaport. On an annual average, between 52-to-67M tons of cargo move through the port. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently conducting a General Re-evaluation Report to examine the potential impacts of deepening and widening the federal navigation channel. The GRR is expected to be completed in fall of 2019. Funding for TIGER grants are awarded on a competitive and matching fund basis. (Source: Fox10 03/06/18)