MDOT MPA Received Federal Grant for Coastal Resiliency Assessment

[By: Maryland Port Administration]

$150,000 FEMA Grant Will Help Identify Ways to Reduce Flooding and Storm Impacts At Maryland Port of Baltimore’s Public Terminals 

BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) has been awarded a $150,000 Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) grant under its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program to develop a thorough flood and storm vulnerability assessment and improve overall coastal resiliencies at the six, state-owned, public marine terminals of Maryland’s Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. The study will also include the World Trade Center Baltimore which houses the MPA’s executive offices as well as adjacent communities to the public terminals in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County. 

“I want to thank FEMA for helping to support our efforts to further protect Maryland’s Port of Baltimore,” said MDOT MPA Executive Director William P. Doyle.  “In recent years, we have seen a rise in significant rain and flooding events in our area and the Port has not been immune to those impacts. Through this funding, we will be able to better plan against the effects of storms, possible sea level rise, and climate change.”  

The study will include detailed and full reviews of:

• All buildings and structures on the public terminals;
• Piers, berths, and cranes;
• Roadways and rail;
• Storm drains and stormwater infrastructure;
• Wastewater and waste management infrastructure;
• Telecommunications, electrical, lighting, and security systems.

The total cost of the assessment is $200,000, with the MDOT MPA contributing $50,000.  Study results will assist funding opportunities for a detailed engineering phase for any specific mitigation options identified and needed.  In 2020, the MPA received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program to better protect the Dundalk Marine Terminal against severe weather events as well as future sea level rising and climate change forecasts. 

“Our partnership with FEMA, USDOT, other federal agencies, local jurisdictions and stakeholders will help ensure we advance MDOT’s goals to protect Maryland’s critical infrastructure and prepare to meet any challenges on the horizon,” said MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr.

Maryland’s Port of Baltimore ranks first among the nation’s ports for volume of autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, imported sugar and imported gypsum. It ranks 11th among major U.S. ports for cargo handled and ninth nationally for total cargo value. 

Maryland’s Port of Baltimore generates about 15,330 direct jobs, with more than 139,180 jobs overall linked to Port activities. The Port is responsible for nearly $3.3 billion in personal wages and salaries, $2.6 billion in business revenues and $395 million in state and local tax revenues.