Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces Nearly $50 Million for the Port of Oakland

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces Nearly $50 Million for the Port of Oakland

Lee helped secure this funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Oakland, CA - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced plans to invest nearly $580 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund port improvement projects across the country, including $49,517,100 for the Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor Terminal Infrastructure Modernization Project.

"I was a proud supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I am pleased that nearly $50 million will be invested in the Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor Terminal Infrastructure Modernization Project," said Congresswoman Lee. "I thank the Department of Transportation and the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to revitalizing and modernizing our ports. These investments will strengthen our communities, strengthen supply chain reliability, create workforce development opportunities, enhance freight efficiency, lower costs, reduce emissions, and improve the safety, reliability, and resilience of our ports."

The funding comes from MARAD's Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), which received $2.25 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve port infrastructure to meet the nation's freight transportation needs. The program provides planning support, capital funding, and project management assistance to improve the capacity and efficiency of ports in both urban and rural areas.

"America's ports are essential to our nation's supply chains, and thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, we have projects underway all across the country-from Long Beach to Milwaukee to Monroe-that are making it possible for our ports to move more goods each year and keep costs down for families," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. "With the investments we're announcing today, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we're building on this good work and funding more projects that will expand capacity, improve efficiency, and facilitate the quicker movement of goods at ports in more than a dozen states."

The Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor Terminal Infrastructure Modernization Project includes wharf strengthening and other structural repairs including crane girder upgrades, added piling, beam strengthening, crane rail replacement, removing and replacing the old electrical bus bar system, and pavement overlay at Berths 24-26 within the Outer Harbor Terminal. The project addresses efficiency at the facility by allowing the port to host larger vessels at the same time to better respond to market demand on the west coast.