The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy recently awarded a $1 million Brownfield Redevelopment Grant to the Port of Monroe.
The grant will help the port redevelop its infrastructure with a second wharf and improvements to the turning basin, a large area where freighters can turn around and where the port receives liquid asphalt.
This is only one part of a $16 million improvement plan that will rehabilitate the port’s infrastructure. In the next 24 months, the port will utilize more grant funds from the federal, state, and local level to create Michigan’s Maritime Gateway, the first cargo inspection facility in Michigan capable of screening international 40-foot ISO containers.
“Ultimately, we are starting the next chapter in the port’s history with a great opportunity to develop regional cargo, but most importantly to fortify infrastructure that will stand the test of time that will serve as a front door for freight in and out of our community,” said Paul LaMarre, director of the Port of Monroe.
Even though maritime shipping is a big part of the Michigan economy, international containers haven’t been moved in and out of the state of Michigan by water. instead, they’ve been moved by land from major ports on the East and West coasts.
“The Port of Monroe is going to change that and will be the first maritime container transportation capable port within the state,” said LaMarre.
However, the Port of Monroe is not looking to be a competitor to these ports, but a reliable backup in the intermodal transportation network. LaMarre pointed to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland; Ford Motor Company was exporting their vehicles from the Port of Baltimore when the bridge collapsed and their operations were shut down.
“It would’ve been exceptionally valuable to have been able to ship directly out of the Port of Monroe and the Great Lakes with vehicles that are manufactured right in our backyard,” LaMarre said. “We’re looking to be not just a redundant transportation option, but an economical insurance policy for regional manufacturing and industry.”
The container terminal is anticipated to be ready by next April and improvements to infrastructure are expected to be complete by fall 2026.
— Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at CVeenstra@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Port of Monroe secures $1M grant to expand operations
Reporting by Connor Veenstra, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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