January 25, 2024

USDOT Makes Intermodal Infrastructure Investments

IANA Member Projects Awarded over $728 million

CALVERTON, MD (January 25, 2024) – Today the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced its selection of 37 projects to receive funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Mega and INFRA programs totalling $4.9 billion. These awards will make considerable investments in intermodal freight infrastructure. Multiple members of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) were the recipients of over $728 million for their projects.

The Mega Program, also known as the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, funds large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits. Congress established the program in 2021 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and dedicated $5 billion to the program over a five-year period. The most recent awards were the second round of funding, worth roughly $2 billion.

The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. The most recent annual program funding amount is $3.1 billion and the annual award amount is $1.5 billion.

“Every American relies upon and benefits from a safe and effective intermodal freight network,” said IANA President and CEO Joni Casey. “We applaud Congress for allocating these funds through the BIL and the Administration for awarding projects that will support and spur economic growth.”

Four IANA member projects were successful in this round of Mega and INFRA funding:

America’s Green Gateway:  Pier B Rail Program Buildout, Long Beach, California
(IANA Member: Port of Long Beach; Port of Los Angeles)
The project will complete the Pier B On-Dock Rail support Facility Program by significantly enhancing container-on-rail service to and from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge Replacement Project, City of Stuart, Florida
(IANA Member: Florida East Coast Railway)
The project will replace the existing 100-year-old St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge with a new double-track structure. By diverting freight traffic to rail, the project will increase safety for marine traffic, decrease the potential for blocked grade crossings and vehicle collisions, and shift single occupancy vehicles to safer passenger rail travel.

East River Berth Replacement Project, Garden City, Georgia
(IANA Member: Georgia Ports Authority)
The project will replace a port berth and two vessel berths at the Port of Brunswick's East River Terminal and will also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by supporting a modal shift from truck to rail for the transportation of commodities to the Port of Brunswick.

Louisiana International Terminal Project, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
(IANA Member: Port of New Orleans)
The project will construct a new container terminal on the Gulf Coast for the Port of New Orleans that is not air-draft restricted and can accommodate larger vessels.