Page 58: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2023)

PORT FUNDING

The ports authority found success by tailoring its projects to city has already submitted one Port Infrastructure Develop- the requirements of the grants programs. For example, for the ment Program grant and is positioned for other prospects to

Colonel's Island Terminal needed to increase capacity for cargo. capture funding.

Our team along with the port authority assessed several grant programs and selected the PIDP as the best ? t. However, the Grant Opportunities to Consider project did not ? t the requirements. So we proposed tailoring the • PIDP – Port Infrastructure Development Program: project to better suit the benchmarks in the program. The port Administered by the Maritime Administration, this federal authority added a livability improvement by removing some at- grant program provides funding for port and intermodal infra- grade rail crossings on local arterial streets. This meaningful up- structure projects, including the construction and rehabilita- grade to the local community increased the cost but also greatly tion of marine terminals. increased the project’s likeliness of obtaining grant funding. • Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Pro-

Another key area to look at is sustainability and resiliency. gram: This program aims to reduce truck emissions at port

Many grant programs include those areas as a requirement. facilities. FHWA will coordinate and provide funding to test,

Owners should consider whether their project can include an evaluate and deploy projects that reduce port-related emis- element of reducing emissions or decreasing waste streams, sions from idling trucks, including through the advancement depending on the grant program selected. of port electri? cation and improvements in ef? ciency, focus- ing on port operations, including heavy-duty commercial ve-

Case Study: Port of Homer hicles, and other related projects.

The State of Alaska transferred the Homer Port to the city • RAISE – Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sus- in 1999, leaving the local community responsible for exten- tainability and Equity: This U.S. Department of Transportation sive deferred maintenance. Some ? oats were already 10 years program provides funding for transportation projects that have beyond design life at the time. State maintenance funds were a signi? cant regional or national economic impact and includes not made available upon transfer, and the city assumed owner- a category for port infrastructure projects. It prioritizes projects ship without replacement reserves, which under best practices with bene? ts in the areas of safety, sustainability, quality of life, would have been accruing at 2.5 to 5% of the asset’s value mobility/connectivity, economic competitiveness, state of good throughout its intended life cycle. The ? oats are now 37 to repair, partnership and collaboration, and innovation. 60 years old, well past their designed service life of 25 years. • PROTECT – Promoting Resilient Operations for

To pursue funding to address these needs, HDR worked with Transformative, Ef? cient, and Cost-saving Transportation the City of Homer to develop a comprehensive multi-year grant Program: PROTECT is a competitive discretionary grant pro- strategy that complements the port’s capital improvement plan. gram through the Federal Highway Administration. It funds

HDR and Homer staff reviewed documents related to project projects that make transportation infrastructure more resilient scope and bene? ts, funding sources, project and city ? nancial to natural hazards and the effects of climate change, including plans, community planning, and public engagement to identify severe storms, ? ooding, drought, levee and dam failures, wild- project characteristics and funding plans. The team matched ? re, rockslides, mudslides, sea level rise, extreme temperatures, capital improvement plan projects with federal discretionary and earthquakes. grants and other funding opportunities, developed funding rec- • Port Security Grant Program: This grant program ommendations and actionable work plans for each project and supports the development and implementation of security group of projects, provided a schedule of application/funding measures at critical infrastructure sites, including marine ter- activities by year, and documented and presented ? ndings. minals. It could include surveillance cameras, new control

The group made recommendations based on project speci? c systems, implementation of cyber security protocols, or ad- analyses combined with HDR’s knowledge of federal grant vanced emergency response technologies. To be eligible for programs, analysis of recent NOFOs, ? scal year 2022 award Port Security funding, applicants must demonstrate that their announcements including HDR-supported wins, and discus- proposed security measures will enhance the safety and secu- sions with federal agency staff. rity of their facility.

These insights were used to assess the readiness of projects • INFRA – Infrastructure for Rebuilding America: This and the presence of merit elements in the projects, with the goal federal grant program provides funding for infrastructure of of determining the optimal alignment between projects and national signi? cance, which could include improvements to available grant opportunities. From there, the City of Homer container wharves. Eligibility requirements for INFRA fund- staff prioritized projects for various grant applications based on ing include demonstrating that the project has signi? cant na- available workload and political priorities to the community. tional or regional economic bene? ts and that it addresses a

This thorough approach gave the city the tools it needed critical transportation need.

to be purposeful in addressing the port’s capital needs. The • Mega – National Infrastructure Project Assistance 58 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2023

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