The Port of Wilmington received a $16 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to assist in a five-year, $200 million project tripling container capacity at the Port of Wilmington. | South Carolina Ports Authority/Wikimedia Commons
The Port of Wilmington received a $16 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to assist in a five-year, $200 million project tripling container capacity at the Port of Wilmington. | South Carolina Ports Authority/Wikimedia Commons
The U.S. Department of Transportation will provide a $16 million grant to the North Carolina State Ports Authority to help improve the Port of Wilmington under the Port Infrastructure Development Program.
The funding has been herald by some, including Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort), who said it was an example of the growth within the state's ports.
"With consistent support from the state Legislature and help from federal grant programs," Kidwell said in an October Facebook post, "North Carolina's ports are growing and continue to have a significant growing impact on our state's economy."
The Port of Wilmington grant will support the development of a new container gate complex, which is part of a five-year, $200 million expansion, the port authority said in an October release. The new container gate will permit the Wilmington container yard to increase capacity more than three times the current amount.
"This grant is the largest individual grant awarded to North Carolina Ports to date," Brian E. Clark, North Carolina Ports CEO, said in the release. "We are thrilled to receive this grant, which will support critical infrastructure projects that will further enable N.C. Ports and the Port of Wilmington to meet growing volumes and customer demand."
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