{"id":4175,"date":"2022-12-15T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/?p=4175"},"modified":"2023-04-20T11:35:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T16:35:23","slug":"insider-intel-on-the-infra-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/15\/insider-intel-on-the-infra-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider Intel on the INFRA Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 2021, the USDOT considered INFRA grant applications based on how they would address climate change, environmental justice and racial equity. These ports managed to crack the formula.<\/div>\n
By Tom Gresham<\/span><\/div>\n
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ISTOCK.COM\/KOKOUU<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T<\/strong><\/span>he federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program is aimed at helping to rebuild America\u2019s infrastructure and create jobs by funding multimodal freight and highway projects of regional and national economic significance.<\/p>\n

In 2021, the United States Department of Transportation considered INFRA grant applications for the first time with an emphasis on how they would address climate change, environmental justice and racial equity. Four ports managed to crack the formula and received grants totaling $148.87 million \u2014 16.45% of the $905.25 million available. This is how they did it.<\/p>\n

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The projects<\/h2>\n

The four port organizations to receive grants in 2021 were the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Georgia Ports Authority, PhilaPort (the Port of Philadelphia) and the South Jersey Port Corporation.<\/p>\n

The Port of New York and New Jersey will use its $44 million INFRA grant on its Port Street Corridor Improvement Project, which is designed to help modernize “a vital, mission-critical” 2.9-mile stretch of roadway at the Port Newark marine terminal complex, said Amanda Kwan, spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The roadway, which hosts approximately 3,600 vehicles during a typical peak hour, includes a rapidly deteriorating access ramp between the port and U.S. Routes 1 and 9, I-78, and the New Jersey Turnpike.<\/p>\n

The Georgia Ports Authority grant of $46,868,000 will go toward building a new inland container port along the I-85\/I-985 corridor. The Northeast Georgia Inland Port, which is expected to open in late 2024, will be linked with the Port of Savannah by direct, 324-mile intermodal freight rail service, said Jamie McCurry, chief administrative officer for the Georgia Ports Authority.<\/p>\n

PhilaPort received $49 million to construct a new multi-use berth that will accommodate roll-on\/roll-off vessels. Ryan Mulvey, director of government and public affairs for the port, said the project will reduce truck idling times, and the increase in on-dock warehouse space that is part of the project is crucial to improving the efficiency of their operations. Mulvey said the project “wouldn\u2019t be possible without the INFRA grant.”<\/p>\n

The South Jersey Port Corporation received $9 million toward expansion of its barge capacity and intermodal rail connectivity at the Port of Salem. The project involves improvements to the port, including the reconstruction and dredging of the berth, and the expansion of the port\u2019s footprint. The work will help strengthen the Port of Salem\u2019s standing as a critical piece in the region\u2019s offshore wind industry, including supporting the New Jersey Wind Port and a monopile manufacturing facility.<\/p>\n

Collaboration Is Key<\/h2>\n

For grant applications to stand out, a collaborative approach is critical. Port representatives said that collaborating with private and public partners strengthens grant applications and demonstrates community support.<\/p>\n

“Be sure to coordinate with all stakeholders to present a united front in the grant request,” McCurry said.<\/p>\n

Kwan said the Port of New York and New Jersey\u2019s grant application was a collaboration between agency staff and external port stakeholders. Internally, the port pooled expertise in areas such as engineering, project management, economic analysis, planning, government and community relations. Externally, the port communicated its plans and contract opportunities with community partners, sought input from tenants and the trucking community, and met with local legislators to discuss the benefits of the project for the region.<\/p>\n

Before it applied for an INFRA grant, McCurry said the Georgia Ports Authority teamed with Norfolk Southern Railroad and Hall County, Georgia, to determine the ideal location for the inland port.<\/p>\n

“With the partnership of local government and the rail service provider, GPA was able to show broad support for the project,” McCurry said.<\/p>\n

Mulvey said Philaport worked closely with terminal operator Delaware River Stevedores to develop its project and application.<\/p>\n

“We took a collaborative approach with them, sat down with them and figured out what their needs were, and hired an outside consulting firm and came up with a design,” Mulvey said. “They\u2019re going to help with part of the local share, and they have buy-in and obviously that was important.”<\/p>\n

Chris Perks, director of engineering for the South Jersey Port Corporation, said the Port of Salem project was developed in-house with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, but included collaboration with an array of public and private partners.<\/p>\n

“The interest from and collaboration with numerous energy, logistics and manufacturing companies from throughout the region and the world has informed the design and execution of this project,” Perks said. “Working with these entities to determine their needs helped us to mold the project into one that would not only be attractive to the grant funders but would also ensure that we were meeting the needs of our potential clients and the burgeoning offshore wind industry.”<\/p>\n

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The Port of New York and New Jersey will use its $44 million INFRA grant on its Port Street Corridor Improvement Project, which is designed to help modernize “a vital, missioncritical” 2.9-mile stretch of roadway at the Port Newark marine terminal complex<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Research and planning<\/h2>\n

An INFRA grant application not only requires 25 pages of narratives explaining the project, but a detailed cost estimate, a full benefit cost analysis narrative and a number of other materials. Research and thoroughness are of essential importance.<\/p>\n

For instance, McCurry said the Georgia Ports Authority researched current container volumes to determine the potential positive impact on traffic congestion, carbon emissions and economic development of the project.<\/p>\n

“Layer in sufficient time ahead of the grant deadlines to conduct supporting research on the likely economic and environmental benefits,” McCurry said.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Atwood, chief of staff and external affairs for the South Jersey Port Corporation, noted that the benefit cost analysis, which pits the project\u2019s costs against its expected benefits, is an integral requirement for the INFRA grants. The South Jersey Port Corporation\u2019s proposal had a benefit cost analysis of 2.3:1, meaning benefits well exceeded costs.<\/p>\n

Kwan said the Port of New York and New Jersey believes its application benefited from the port already vetting and planning its capital investments through the development of its Port Master Plan 2050, which provides a roadmap for the next 15 years of road- and rail-enabling projects to keep up with projected cargo volume growth \u2014 all with a focus on sustainability and resiliency.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Andrew Saporito, executive director and CEO of the South Jersey Port Corporation, believes the agency\u2019s track record with publicly funded projects, particularly completing them on schedule and within budget, helped its case in the INFRA grant application process. In fact, the Port of Salem project builds on a recently completed Port of Paulsboro redevelopment project that included the use of INFRA grant funds to help improve the rail network serving the port.<\/p>\n

Mulvey said the earlier a port is prepared for a grant then the better its application will be.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s never too early to start thinking about grant projects,” Mulvey said. “We\u2019re sometimes too reactive as an industry. The time to think about your projects is before grants that can support them are announced. If you\u2019re playing from behind, it makes it much more difficult to put forth a real comprehensive and complete application. With the historic investment that the federal government\u2019s making in ports and infrastructure right now, I think it\u2019s safe to go out there and look at some projects that you think you have a need for and start planning for them now. So when those notifications of funding opportunities are made, you\u2019re ready to move.”<\/p>\n

Grant Writers Strengthen Applications for Many Ports<\/h2>\n

Jonathan Atwood, chief of staff and external affairs for the South Jersey Port Corporation, said writing successful grant applications requires dedicated expertise.<\/p>\n

“Grants are complex, multifaceted and time-consuming,” Atwood said. “Not only do they have to be well written, but they also need to \u2018check all the boxes,\u2019 both in the narratives and in the supplemental materials.”<\/p>\n

Some ports can devote staff to grant writing, but many others turn to outside experts to tackle the work. There is a lot at stake.<\/p>\n

“Right now, with the amount of money that\u2019s being sent to invest in our ports and infrastructure, I think outside consultants are vital,” said Ryan Mulvey, director of government and public affairs for PhilaPort.
\nIdeally, a consultant will be “an integral part of your operations, on board with your goals and with a clear vision to help you attain them,” Atwood said. The South Jersey Port Corporation has worked with Triad Associates of Vineland for years on grant applications.<\/p>\n

“Because we have worked together for so long, they understand us, what we do and where we are looking to go,” Atwood said.<\/p>\n

Ports hoping to identify grant writers should seek consultants who understand the process and the funding agencies.<\/p>\n

“This gives your consultant \u2014 and your application \u2014 a competitive advantage,” Atwood said. “Knowing what is expected allows the grant writer to include certain concepts, phrases and terminology that will help your application stand out in a crowded field.”<\/p>\n