Sault Ste Marie receives $500K grant to provide safety and security to the carbide dock area

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced the recipients for the 2024 Michigan Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program that will invest $5 million toward maritime projects across Michigan. The five projects that were competitively selected will make strategic investments in Michigan’s maritime system to help strengthen the state’s economic competitiveness, reduce the cost of freight transportation, improve reliability, and mitigate the impact of freight movement on the environment.

“The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is honored to be one of the recipients of funding from the inaugural Michigan Maritime Port Facility Assistance Program,” said Mark Schrupp, executive director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. “This grant will help the Port Authority develop infrastructure to launch innovative maritime services and expand the utilization of the Great Lakes for freight operations and power our local and Michigan economies. We thank MDOT and the Whitmer administration for their support of maritime, the lowest carbon option for moving goods.” 

“The Great Lakes and the maritime industry are critical assets to Michigan and our nation,” State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich said. “MDOT looks forward to building upon our existing partnerships with the maritime industry by helping support our economy and add new jobs.” 

Signed into law in 2022 creating the Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program, MDOT’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget included a one-time appropriation of $5 million for the program. 

Michigan Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program FY 2024 Projects

Applicant	Location	Project Description	Grant Award	Project Total
Port of Monroe	Monroe	Construction of a roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) dock capable of accommodating any Seaway-size vessel importing and exporting diverse and oversize/overweight cargoes.	$ 1,500,000	$3,647,204
Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority	Detroit	Project to acquire a marine terminal and develop the Detroit-Wayne Mobility Innovation Terminal (DW-MIT) to spur zero-carbon, innovative, intermodal cargo and freight solutions, jobs, and economic development.	$ 1,500,000	$20,000,000
Verplank Dock Co.	Ferrysburg	Excavation of dredged material at the confined disposal facility (CDF) for beneficial reuse using an established innovative model.	$ 1,000,000	$3,490,000
City of Cheboygan and U.S. Energy	Cheboygan	Project to expand and secure motor fuel supply for northern Michigan by adding a petroleum storage tank at the Cheboygan marine terminal.	$ 500,000	$1,900,000
City of Sault Ste. Marie	Sault Ste. Marie	Project to provide safety and security to the cargo area and other enhancements at the Carbide Dock in Sault Ste. Marie.	$ 500,000	$1,215,120

Michigan’s 3,200 miles of shoreline along four of the five Great Lakes contain 33 active cargo ports that ship or receive cargo. A critical part of the overall freight transportation system, Michigan’s ports handle 51.7 million tons of cargo valued at $4.1 billion annually.