Showing posts with label US Department of Transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Department of Transportation. Show all posts

Friday, July 27, 2018

Hawaii Receives Marine Highway Designation

By Karen Robes Meeks

Hawaii received its first Marine Highway designation earlier this month, allowing the Hawaii Department of Transportation to be part of America’s Marine Highways program, which gives federal resources that will enhance more efficient cargo movement through Hawaii’s commercial harbors.

At a ceremony at Pier 38 at Honolulu Harbor, Gov. David Ige received a certificate from the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation that officially names the waters around and between the Hawaiian Islands as Marine Highway “MH-1.”

“It is an honor to support this collaborative initiative between MARAD and the HDOT Harbors Division, and to acknowledge that this Marine Highway is Hawaii’s lifeline,” said Lauren Brand, MARAD’s Associate Administrator for the Office of Ports & Waterways. “This designation, awarded by Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, complements the ongoing Harbors Modernization Plan.”

Ige and state transportation leaders also revealed the official name of the new route: The Daniel K. Akaka Marine Highway, named after the late senator.

“It is a great privilege to honor Senator Akaka and know his service to the people of our State will continue as the Daniel K. Akaka Marine Highway benefits and enhances the port system we all depend on,” Ige said.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Port of Oakland Planning Trade & Logistics Center

The city and Port of Oakland have applied for a $40 million US Department of Transportation grant to help pay for the planned conversion of a former waterfront Army base into a trade and logistics center.

The port says the grant would supplement local, state and private investment to aid the launch the $438 million first phase of the redevelopment of the former Oakland Army Base, which closed in September 1999, 58 years after it was first commissioned.

“The project is competitive because it is intermodal – with rail, port, and road components; focused on exports through one of the nation’s top five trade gateways,” Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar Benjamin said. “(It) will help us create thousands of jobs in one of the most impacted regions in our country.”

The redevelopment would include construction of a new rail terminal on 40 acres of port property to enhance ship-to-rail connections and reduce truck traffic and emissions on local roads; and construction of new trade and logistics facilities for warehousing directly within the port.

The plans also include restoration of Oakland’s sole deepwater break-bulk terminal to increase exports; and infrastructure improvements, such as street and road enhancements.

Port of Oakland Commission President Pamela Calloway said the strategic initiative is “critical” to the port’s future.

“This project is one way we are going to reach our job creation goals while making sure the port is an engine for inclusive economic development,” she remarked.