Ports Authority gets $3M to improve Puerto Nuevo pier Avenue C
The Puerto Rico Ports Authority will receive $3 million from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (Raise) discretionary grant program. The funds are intended to support a feasibility study, environmental risk review and community involvement program aimed at improving Avenue C, the sole access roadway that services the eastern eight piers of the Puerto Nuevo Port Zone.
The San Juan port facility was included in a funding round that totaled $2.2 billion. It included 162 community-led infrastructure projects as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda.
The local project’s description states that, in addition to roadway rehabilitation, the study will consider the construction of water distribution, fire suppression, storm sewer and sanitary sewer systems; as well as the rehabilitation of perimeter fencing and illumination systems; and signage, signalization and active transportation improvements.
“The project is strong in environmental sustainability, mobility and community connectivity, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, and innovation,” according to the summary of the project.
“The project will plan a more resilient roadway for port access, particularly during natural disasters, and will bring the roadway into a state of good repair. The design will specifically focus on improving the operational efficiency by allowing modern container sizes and will assess opportunity for solar lighting and cool pavement technologies to help mitigate the effects of urban heat islands,” it added.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said: “Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects. This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain, and more.”
