USACE allocates $70M from HMTF to Port of Los Angeles maintenance projects

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allocated approximately $70 million from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to the Port of Los Angeles for harbor maintenance, seismic resiliency and navigational safety improvements. The San Pedro Bay port complex was allocated a record $131.8 million.

The HMTF is funded by a commercial cargo tax paid by U.S. importers moving goods through U.S. ports. This money is then allocated for harbor maintenance and navigation improvements at those ports.

“The Port of Los Angeles is a leading economic driver for our state and country, handling large volumes of imports and exports on the global stage,” said Senator Adam Schiff. “These critical funds will address long overdue maintenance projects and safety upgrades – ensuring the port remains one of the finest global trade hubs in the world.”

The Port said that they will use its HMTF allocation for a variety of maintenance and repair projects, including dredging, seismic safety upgrades, wharf and fender repairs, pile replacements, sediment removal and remediation, and improvements to slips and channels.

The Port of Los Angeles has identified more than $6 billion in eligible expanded-use projects, many of which are shovel-ready and can immediately utilize new HMTF funding. Priority projects include:

•    Berths 49-50 Wharf & Fender Repair – $25 million,
•    Berth 305 Wharf Retrofit – $18 million,
•    Berth 126 Wharf Seismic Upgrade – $322 million,
•    Berths 238-239 Marine Oil Terminal Improvements – $35 million,
•    Berths 167-169 Marine Oil Terminal Improvements – $44 million,
•    Legacy Sediment Removal & Remediation – $140 million.