The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach each received about $70 million this year from the national Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund through a program administered by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, officials announced.
The funds are designated for harbor maintenance and navigation improvements at each port. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is funded by a commercial cargo tax paid by U.S.-based importers moving goods through U.S. ports.
According to the announcement from the Port of Los Angeles, the sizable funding amounts this year contrast with previous years. That’s because of reforms enacted to the distribution formula for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
In some previous years, the twin ports and a handful of other “donor ports” that cumulatively contributed more than 50% to the fund received as little as 3% back in funding for infrastructure improvement projects.
Projects at the ports
At the Port of Los Angeles, the funds will be used for dredging, seismic safety upgrades, wharf and fender repairs, pile replacements, sediment removal and remediation, and improvements to slips and channels.
Among the specific projects: Berths 49-50 wharf and fender repair; Berth 126 wharf seismic upgrades and Berths 167-169 marine oil terminal improvements.
“Right now, the port is looking at more than $6 billion in future navigational maintenance and repair projects,” Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement. “With this support, repairs can move forward more quickly, ensuring that our Port’s infrastructure continues to meet world-class expectations.”
At the Port of Long Beach, the funds will support maintenance dredging and replacing the Back Channel steel bulkhead. The resources will also be used to upgrade fenders, bollards, and berthing systems while funding seismic retrofits and wharf repairs.
“The Port of Long Beach is a leading gateway contributing to the U.S. economy, and this funding will help us keep commerce flowing safely and efficiently as we build the port of the future and double our cargo throughput to 20 million container units annually by 2050,” Noel Hacegaba, the port’s new chief executive, said in a statement.
