Award purposethe project will fund the procurement delivery and assembly of a 275 ton marine crane with an electric magnet and a 27 5 ton forklift for use at the port enhancing cargo handling…

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration awarded Central Louisiana Regional Port a Project Grant of $4.19 million on July 1, 2025, under the United States Marine Highway Grants program (CFDA 20.816) to procure and deliver specialized cargo handling equipment. The award funds three primary components: acquisition of a 275-ton marine crane with electric magnet capability, procurement of an electromagnet attachment suitable for crane integration, and purchase of a 27.5-ton forklift. These equipment acquisitions are designed to enhance the port's cargo handling capabilities and support military logistics operations at the Alexandria, Louisiana facility.

The project will operate through March 31, 2029, with measurable outcomes focused on freight movement efficiency and modal shift benefits. The port will track quarterly performance metrics including unitized freight volumes transported via designated marine highway routes (measured in TEUs, metric tons, or cubic board meters), vehicle miles traveled (VMT) avoided through marine transportation alternatives, and the number of transloading events disaggregated by mode type. This investment aligns with the Marine Highway Grants program's objective to mitigate landside congestion by expanding water-based transportation capacity and reducing highway vehicle traffic in the region.

Award purposethe project will fund the procurement delivery and assembly of a 275 ton marine crane with an electric magnet and a 27 5 ton forklift for use at the port enhancing cargo handling capabilities and supporting military logistics. Activities to be performed the project involves three components component 1 purchase a 275 ton minimum crane.component 2 purchase a suitable electromagnet attachment for use with the crane. Component 3 purchase a 27 5 ton minimum forklift. Deliverables expected outcomes from page 9 schedule g of the grant agreement. Measure freight movements. Category and description economic competitiveness calculate the amount of unitized freight by tonnage volume transported on the designated marine highway route teus metric tons or cubic board meter CBM movements. Measurement frequency quarterly. Measure highway vehicle miles traveled VMT avoided. Category and description economic competitiveness calculate the VMT by obtaining the alternative road miles avoided by using the designated marine highway route. Measurement frequency quarterly. Measure transloading events cargo lifts. Category and description economic competitiveness and opportunity measures the number of transloading events cargo lifts in the project study area. Must be reported in total and disaggregated by any of the following where applicable: mode type e g truck to rail, rail to truck, truck to barge. Measurement frequency quarterly. Intended beneficiary central louisiana regional port district. Subrecipient activities none.