March 7, 2022 Group Watch: Shelby Lands $100M Grant for AL Commerce Infrastructure
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a $100 million joint grant to the Mobile Airport Authority and the Alabama State Port Authority. The grant enables the two entities to participate in the DOT Transportation Demonstration Program to allow for the enhancement of existing infrastructure. According to a press release, the DOT investment will pave the way for streamlined aviation, maritime, rail and highway infrastructure systems. The program will serve to upgrade the Port of Mobile’s freight container operations by providing start-up for a dedicated inter-terminal connector with rail access to the Port Authority’s terminal railway and five Class I railroads. A two-site logistics park will be developed to support an integrated, intermodal seaport, airport and rail terminal network for domestic and international freight movement. Shelby, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the funding for this effort represents one of the most significant grant awards he has secured for the state in his more than four decades-long congressional career.
