Evers, WisDOT announce over $7.5M to strengthen Wisconsin’s ports

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), yesterday announced Harbor Assistance Program grants totaling over $7.5 million for harbor maintenance and construction projects in Green Bay, Manitowoc, Marinette, Milwaukee, and Sturgeon Bay.

The bipartisan 2025-27 Biennial Budget, signed by Evers last summer, directed $30 million to support the state’s successful Harbor Assistance Program, as well as $20 million specifically to support the completion of the port development project at the Port of Green Bay. 

Commenting the latest announcement, Evers said: “Coastal communities are some of the greatest economic drivers of our state, and these funds will work to ensure these vital communities have the tools and resources they need to thrive.”

Projects supported by over $7.5 million in Harbor Assistance Program grants include:

• $1.3 million for the Port of Green Bay and Brown County to dredge an area at the mouth of the Lower Fox River that is being redeveloped as part of a larger project to install a dock wall, add fill material, and regrade property to create a new transload facility;
• Over $1.3 million for Burger Boat Company in Manitowoc to dredge along the existing dock wall and launch well, expanding capacity and enabling launches of newly built large vessels, as well as repair and refit activities at the shipyard; 
• $411,000 for Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for dock wall repair and fender system improvements to protect Great Lakes vessels from damage during berthing for repairs;
• $882,000 for Marinette Fuel & Dock in Marinette to dredge a mooring area to the same depth as the Menominee River navigation channel to accommodate larger vessels and expand cargo operations;
• $188,000 for city of Sturgeon Bay to revitalize and rebuild a multi-purpose public dock on Nautical Drive, with a section of dock for commercial use and another for recreational use;
• $2 million for City Centre LLC in Manitowoc to construct a crane platform and loadout ramp for assembling, testing, and transferring cranes designed by Konecranes Inc. onto barges for shipment; and
• Over $1.4 million for Port Milwaukee and the city of Milwaukee.