PhilaPort will receive a US$49 million grant from the 2021 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program, after selected by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT).
The grant funds will be used to provide gap funding for the development of a US$130 million new multi-use berth at Southport.
The Southport Berth Development project will complement the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) deepening of the Delaware River shipping channel.
The deepening project will allow larger vessels to access PhilaPort, while the development of a new multi-use berth at Southport will allow these ships to dock directly at the Southport terminal where vehicular cargo can be efficiently stored adjacent to the berth.
By increasing the region’s limited maritime Ro/Ro capacity with a new berth at Southport, auto imports can continue to be delivered directly to Philadelphia instead of other busy ports handling Philadelphia-bound goods, according to an announcement.
Jeff Theobald, PhilaPort Executive Director and CEO, said that the expansion project would be impossible without funding from the US government. “With this INFRA grant, the port can leverage and build upon current expansion efforts made possible thanks to critical investments made by Governor Wolf and the Commonwealth,” he said.
PhilaPort Chairman, Jerry Sweeney commented, “The project provides many logistical benefits in addition to creating high-paying jobs in the economically distressed and underserved communities of the greater Philadelphia region.”
The new multi-use berth at Southport’s immediate proximity to vehicle and other rolling stock and container operations provides numerous efficiency and logistical benefits, according to PhilaPort.
These benefits include placing vehicles at a first point of rest in immediate proximity to the processing center, more efficient berthing operations and reducing transfers between processing centers.
The development of the Southport berth is also expected to relieve congestion at berths that are better positioned to accommodate container and bulk cargo.
The development of this project will represent the first Deepwater berth construction in Philadelphia in almost 50 years.
