Port of Virginia gains $1.55m FHWA grant

The Federal Highway Administration is awarding the mid-Atlantic port with a $1.55 million grant, which the Port of Virginia will use towards the development and phased implementation of a reservation system at its terminals for motor carriers.    The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is awarding the Port of Virginia with a $1.55 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant, the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) said in a statement Wednesday.
   The grant, along with equal matching funds from the Port of Virginia, will be used to help the port continue its work on the development and phased implementation of a reservation system at its terminals for motor carriers, the VPA said.
   “As we go forward, a reservation system for motor carriers is going to be absolutely necessary to creating efficiency at the gate, in the stack-yards and improving service,” said John Reinhart, chief executive officer and executive director at the Virginia Port Authority. “It will allow us to meter the flow of traffic in and out of our terminals, level-out out the ‘rush hours’ and give us more control of the flow of cargo moving by truck.”
   The mid-Atlantic port has been working with several regional trucking firms for over two years for the development of its reservation system.
   The system is being tested, but there is currently no implementation deadline, and Reinhart says it “will be phased-in when we see need.”