OSWEGO — U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D–NY) on Friday urged the federal government to invest $1.5 million for improvements on the rail line along the docks at the Port of Oswego.
Schumer lobbied for the funding during a meeting with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, his office said in a news release.
Schumer wants a $1.5 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) discretionary grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
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The funding would allow the Oswego port to improve infrastructure and equipment to meet future shipping demands, increase productivity, and preserve its role as a resource for businesses throughout Central New York and beyond, Schumer’s office said in a news release.
The Port of Oswego would use this funding to upgrade the rail line along the docks that has deteriorated to the point of “shutting down,” Schumer’s office said.
Firms such as Trafigura, a Netherlands–based commodity trading company, and Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., an investment banking and securities firm, rely on that rail line, according to Schumer’s office.
The grant would also allow the port to leverage $1.75 million in matching funds to bring the total investment in infrastructure upgrades to $3.2 million.
The project would also create close to 100 construction jobs and prepare the regional port for “increased” shipping demands, according to Schumer’s office.
The federal government “holds the keys to unlocking the full potential of this job-creating trade hub” in Central New York, Schumer said in a news release.
“The fact that the Port of Oswego’s rail line, a critical link between the port and local supply chains, has been left to decay is unacceptable, and I have gone straight to the top at the Department of Transportation to push for a federal investment. I spoke with Secretary Foxx and urged him to select the Port of Oswego for a federal TIGER grant to provide funding to revamp this crucial one mile of rail,” Schumer said.
The federal investment would increase storage by 67 percent, ease congestion, and facilitate the movement of more than $1 billion goods in and out of the port annually, the senator added.
The Port of Oswego Authority would use the funds to construct a roadway, embedded with heavy-rail track, connecting the Port’s main east terminal to a six-acre secure, open-storage area to accommodate increased traffic and new commodities, Schumer’s office said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
