LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will receive more than $600 million in grant funding provided by the state in an effort to complete essential infrastructure projects to streamline and sustain the goods-supply chain, officials announced Thursday.
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Of the $1.5 billion allocated by the state, the Port of Los Angeles will receive $233 million while $383 million will go to the Port of Long Beach. The funding is part of the state's work to "enhance safety, reduce emissions and keep goods and people moving," according to a statement from the California State Transportation Agency.
"No other state has a supply chain as critical to the national and global economy as California," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "These investments -- unprecedented in scope and scale -- will modernize our ports, reduce pollution, eliminate bottlenecks and create a more dynamic distribution network."
During a ceremony at the Port of Long Beach Thursday morning, Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said state funding will put port projects in a "strong position to compete for significant federal infrastructure dollars."
Projects receiving funding will help boost capacity to move goods through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach -- the busiest ports in the western hemisphere -- and enhance trade throughout the state from San Diego to the Central Valley to the Bay Area, officials said.
In response to the $233 million grant, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked the governor and secretary for awarding these "critical funds."
"When we invest in infrastructure, we are also investing in our workforce, in our nearby communities and in the port's ability to safely and consistently send and receive goods," Bass said in a statement.
State funding will support three infrastructure projects at the Port of L.A. -- the Maritime Support Facility Improvement and Expansion Project; the Rail Mainline/Wilmington Community & Waterfront Pedestrian Grade Separation Bridge; and State Route 47/Seaside Avenue and Navy Way Interchange Improvements.
The $198.2 million MSF project will provide chassis and empty container storage for all 12 container terminals at the twin ports. The funding will also allow the project to expand from 30 to 71 acres and support improvements to utilities, drainage, sewage, power, water supply and a paved perimeter roadway.
The $5.62 million bridge project will introduce a 400-foot pedestrian bridge over freight tracks, which is intended to create a safer connection between the Wilmington community, local schools and the waterfront area.
The $62.98 million state Route 47 project will modify the intersection of Navy Way and Seaside Avenue to improve traffic operations, reduce collisions and enhance safety.
"This nearly quarter-billion investment in critical Port of Los Angeles projects -- along with an additional $191 million in supporting regional projects -- will accelerate efforts to boost competitiveness, create jobs and enhance decarbonization efforts," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.
At the Port of Long Beach, nearly $225 million will fund a variety of zero-emission cargo-moving equipment and supportive infrastructure projects, including "top handlers" and other manually operated cargo-handling equipment such as tugboats and locomotives.
Additionally, $158.4 million will go toward the planned Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which will shift more cargo from trucks to on-dock rail, where containers are taken to and from marine terminals by train.
The facility will be built in phases, with construction scheduled to begin in 2024 and be completed in 2032.
"This game-changing grant will make a tremendous difference in our efforts to bring more business and jobs to the harbor, enhance the efficiency of cargo movement and accelerate the Port of Long Beach's ongoing transformation to zero-emission operations," said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero.
Of the $1.5 billion funding by CalSTA, approximately $250 million will be allocated for zero-emission infrastructure, locomotives, vehicles and vessels.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District, a regulatory agency responsible for improving air quality for counties in Southern California, also received $76 million for zero-emission projects that will further support the goods movement sector in the San Pedro Bay Port corridor.
South Coast AQMD will use the funding for its Port and Freight Infrastructure Program to demonstrate one "first-of-its-kind hydrogen fuel cell locomotive." In addition, the agency will install 376 Direct Current Fast Chargers and 19 hydrogen refueling dispensers across seven locations for trucks used for goods movement.
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