Port Manatee Wins Marine Highway Grant

Port Manatee will share $3.34 million in grant funds with the Port of Brownsville, Texas for their successful joint application supporting U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's America's Marine Highway Initiative.
The Cross Gulf Container Expansion Project, an existing container-on-barge service operating between the ports of Manatee and Brownsville, is one of eight projects first designated in August by Secretary LaHood to compete for $7 million in marine highway grant funds. The funds awarded to Manatee and Brownsville will be used to enhance marine terminal equipment, infrastructure and barges to improve frequency of service and efficiencies provided by route operator SeaBridge Freight.
SeaBridge estimates the existing tug and barge service reduces diesel consumption by 70,000 gallons per voyage from trucks removed from the I-10 corridor because of the service and saves nearly 18 million truck miles annually.