Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will present grant

A top-level White House official will be visiting the Port of Lewiston Wednesday with Idaho’s governor.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. at 1626 Sixth Avenue North in Lewiston, according to the governor’s office.  He’ll be accompanied by Idaho Governor C.L. (Butch) Otter, Senator Mike Crapo, and Senator Jim Risch, both R-Idaho.

LaHood is a member of the Cabinet who advises the president.  The men will be presenting a federal grant to the Port of Lewiston, according to the governor’s office.

The port received $1.3 million in June to expand its dock from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary Grant program.  It’s not clear if the award that will be given Wednesday is the same. Continue reading →

Meanwhile, Port of Whitman loses bid for money to replace railroad bridges

The region’s barging system, not rail, was a winner in a federal grant program that will provide $1.3 million for the Port of Lewiston to expand its dock.

The $2.9 million dock extension was the only Idaho project to be awarded money from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program.

The port estimates the project will create 48 jobs by 2023, assuming the annual number of containers the port handles grows from the 3,653 it handled last year to 16,000. Continue reading →

Budget includes $2.9 million for container dock project

The biggest item in a budget Lewiston port commissioners passed Wednesday is a $2.9 million container dock expansion.

The action came just minutes after David Doeringsfeld, the port’s manager, described the port’s primary mission as job creation and retention, not getting barges up and down the river.

More than doubling the length of the 125-foot dock is consistent with that goal, Doeringfeld said after the meeting. Continue reading →