USDOT awards $49M infrastructure grant to Port of Philadelphia

PhilaPort has been selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to receive a $49 million grant from the 2021 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program. The grant funds will be used to provide gap funding for the development of a $130 million new multi-use berth at Southport.

The Southport Berth Development project will complement the U.S. 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.

Jeff Theobald, PhilaPort Executive Director and CEO, said:

“The Southport Berth Development and Port Expansion project has been ready to advance for the past several years and without this critical funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation the project would not be possible. 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.”

PhilaPort Chairman Jerry Sweeney said:

“The Southport Berth Development project is a key component to PhilaPort’s continued growth, and is vital to the region’s economic recovery. 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 provide numerous efficiency and logistical benefits. 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 will also relieve congestion at berths that are better positioned to accommodate container and bulk cargo.

Additional benefits of this project include:

• Provide gateways to employment consistent with diverse composition of Philadelphia and surrounding counties.
• Improve the quality-of-life of residents and promote environmental sustainability by decreasing emissions.
• Bring facilities to a state of good repair and improve resiliency by addressing current or projected vulnerabilities in the condition of port transportation facilities.
• Promote exports by increasing the efficient movement of automobile exports and increasing national export capacity.
• Development of the of this project will represent the first Deepwater berth construction in Philadelphia in almost 50 years.