Duluth gets grant to rebuild old wooden dock

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $10 million to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Thursday to rebuild a cargo dock along the waterfront.

The grant will allow the authority to rebuild a turn of the century wooden dock in the Duluth harbor.

Port Authority Executive Director Adolf Ojard said the project also will create a 28-acre multimodal transportation hub that combines truck, rail and shipping facilities Duluth's Port Authority and the state of Minnesota will cover the additional $6 million in costs.

"What we want to do is merge those together and create a supply chain that is both efficient, economical, and provides benefit to our local industry and regional economy," he said.

Ojard said that will benefit current mining and pulp and paper operations in the region, and also build capacity for new industry.

This is the fifth year the Port Authority had applied for the federal funding from the department's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program.

This year, transportation officials awarded $474 million to 52 projects in 37 states. There were more than 500 grant applicants nationwide. Ojard said it's possible the Port Authority will bid the project this fall and be ready to start construction next spring.

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