Port of Cleveland unveils future investments

Over $6 million will be spent to rehabilitate the Cleveland Bulk Terminal’s structurally deficient bulkheads, and more than $2 million will be used to expand the existing entrance and security checkpoint at the port’s general cargo docks.    The Port of Cleveland unveiled projects to repair key bulkheads and improve efficiencies at its facilities.
   Over $6 million in funding will be used to rehabilitate the Cleveland Bulk Terminal’s structurally deficient bulkheads, which cause 20 percent of its dock capacity to lay dormant, the port said. The project is expected to be completed in June 2019 at the earliest, and no disruption at the terminal is anticipated from the rehabilitation, Port of Cleveland Vice President, External Affairs Jade Davis told American Shipper.
   The Port of Cleveland will also dedicate over $2 million to expand the existing entrance and security checkpoint at its general cargo docks, adding lanes to improve functionality and truck processing times, and upgrading security and signage. The project is projected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019, Davis said.
   Funding for the two abovementioned projects is coming from the port recently securing more than $8.5 million in repurposed Federal Highway Administration funds through the Ohio Department of Transportation, originally secured in larger part to support the buildout of a terminal for a trans-Lake Erie ferry service that did not move forward.
   The port’s board of directors also approved authority for the port to commit a local match as it pursues a $5.9 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant to improve its ore loading facilities on its bulk terminal site. “If secured, the grant would fund work that will improve efficiencies on the site to save time and resources for ships during discharge and loadout operations,” the port said. “This in turn will reduce congestion and air pollution on site and beyond.”
   Situated along Lake Erie, the Port of Cleveland handles a variety of cargo, including iron ore, limestone, steel, heavy machinery and equipment, wind-energy components and other over-sized project cargo.
   The port began the 2017 shipping season with lighter volumes than April of last year, but vessel traffic will increase significantly in May, Davis said. In addition, the Cleveland Bulk Terminal moved almost 300,000 tons of cargo in April, with further volumes expected as the summer months approach.