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US Senator Charles E. Schumer recently announced $5.1 million in federal funding from the U.S Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) for the Port of Ogdensburg Terminal Expansion Project.
According to Schumer, the major investment was made possible by the historic investments in his Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law and will fund an expansion of the Port of Ogdensburg’s main dock terminal, deepening the harbor, increasing export capacity, improving quality of the port’s infrastructure, and boosting economic activity at the Port for decades to come.
“ The Port of Ogdensburg is moving full speed ahead with expanding their vital operations as the economic engine of the North Country thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs law. This over $5 million federal boost will help complete the much needed expansion of the Port’s main dock terminal – increasing export capacity and enhancing its ability to serve the Upstate NY businesses ,” said Schumer .
Schumer also added that this over $5 million federal investment will fund both phases within the Port of Ogdensburg expansion project.
Phase one of the project, which Schumer secured funding to kick start in 2021, will deepen the Ogdensburg Harbor to ease congestion, reduce shipping costs and unlock new business opportunities.
At the time, sediment backlog and shallow waters at the harbor made the port’s main dock inaccessible for larger vessels and added tens of thousands of dollars to shipping costs.
With this new federal funding, the port will add 500 feet to the west side dock wall to create a second vessel berth at seaway depth and expand storage facilities for increased cargo.
Additionally, the improvements will boost the overall resilience of the port by equipping it to transport larger quantities of cargo in significantly less steps, reducing the likelihood of errors and supply chain disruptions.
Taken together, the deepening, dock upgrades and storage expansion are expected to enable two or more ships to come to port and unload their cargo. Currently, the port can handle only one ship at a time.