WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today celebrated a $6.1 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to improve infrastructure and expand capacity at the Lowndes County Port in Columbus.  The grant was issued by the Maritime Administration through the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

“Mississippi’s ports and waterways are vital elements to transportation and commerce in our state,” Wicker said. “These water-to-rail infrastructure investments will significantly improve the Lowndes County Ports’ capabilities and keep Mississippi moving.”

“This grant gives the Lowndes County Port Authority resources to implement West Bank Port improvements that are essential to moving more goods and services more efficiently,” Hyde-Smith said.  “These appropriated funds will help to expand the capacity of the port in many ways, including construction of a new rail spur that gives the port more options for transferring cargo and improving the functionality of this facility.”

The project includes design, engineering, construction, and inspection of a new rail spur with approximately 10,000 linear feet of track and three transload docks that will provide direct rail access for transloading cargo between barges and railcars at the Lowndes County West Bank Port.

The port does not currently have direct rail access and the new rail spur will connect the port terminal to an existing railroad line operated by Kansas City Southern.

Read more about the Mississippi senators’ work on PIDP initiatives here.