Posted on January 3, 2022
The St. Paul Port Authority will receive $4.14 million from a federal maritime infrastructure program to rehabilitate a dock wall on the Mississippi River underneath the Lafayette Bridge, just south of downtown.
The 1,300-foot dock wall at Barge Terminal Two was built in 1964 and needs significant repair, according to the Port Authority. Harbor operator Upper River Serves leases the space for barge towing, fleeting, cleaning and repair services, but the existing wall no longer aligns well with standard barge sizes.
The “BT2” project is estimated to cost $12.17 million. The $4.14 million grant from the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program follows a $6.3 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and $1.73 million from Port Authority river shipping funds.
The Port Authority, which expects to complete the project next year, plans to release a design request for proposals in January.
River shipping remains a vital enterprise in Minnesota. Approximately 5.9 million tons of cargo pass through the St. Paul Harbor each year, from imported fertilizer, water treatment materials, steel, aggregate, cement and road salt to exported corn, soybeans, potash and steel to be recycled.
It would take roughly 216 rail cars to move the same amount of product as a typical 15-barge tow carrying approximately 1,500 tons per barge. The Port Authority was one of 25 recipients nationwide to receive a portion of the $241 million federal grant pool available this year.
