The following is from a news release from the Port Authority of Guam:
The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced today that it has approved the Port Authority of Guam’s (PAG) Rebuilding America Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application in the amount of $17.9 Million. The Project, estimated at over $22 Million, will upgrade wharves F1 through F6 to support ship-to-shore gantry crane operations. It will specifically address sheet piles and concrete cap spallings at the face of the port’s F2, F3, F4 and F6 wharves as well as the deteriorating structure of F1 Fuel Pier. This initiative will ensure the sustainability of Guam’s vital port infrastructure, securing the island’s capacity to continue to receive over 90% of all imported goods.
This proposed project was initially submitted to FEMA’s FY2020 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Because the project was more than just a mitigation initiative and although favorably rated, it was not awarded. With the belief that this project was in the best interest of the Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port of Guam, the entire island as a whole, and the entire Pacific Region, the PAG resubmitted the initiative to the FY2021 RAISE Grant Program on July 2021, making pertinent revisions to localize and comply with MARAD’s stringent grant requirements and conditions.
“We are pleased and grateful that MARAD continues to recognize the PAG’s efforts to improve the Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port of Guam to address the expectations of organic growth and its strategic importance to the ongoing military buildup. As the ‘Tip of the Spear’ in the Western Pacific, the viability of the Port is paramount to sustaining the Department of Defense’s operational effectiveness and mission readiness in the region”, stated Governor Lou Leon Guerrero.
Lt. Governor Joshua F. Tenorio points out that “This is consistent with the Governor and Board’s direction in utilizing federal funds to meet our island’s needs first and foremost. “Investment in port infrastructure is a vital component of the Governor’s strategy for economic recovery and the creation of more private sector jobs. By taking advantage of all federal grant opportunities, we can speed up this investment and bring more federal dollars into the local economy,” said Lt. Governor Tenorio.
General Manager Rory Respicio added, “Our vibrant partnership with MARAD has been a critical component of our modernization program and the aggressive long overdue project funded under this Program supports the necessary upgrades that will further enhanced the Port’s core capabilities and resiliency.”
