Cargo terminal expansion at the Port of Winsor receives $12M in federal funding
The federal government has committed as much as $12.5 million in funding for a Cargo Terminal Infrastructure Expansion project at the Port of Windsor.
The money, which is bring provided to the Essex Terminal Railway Company through the National Trade Corridors Fund, will be used to help build a new warehouse and expand the shorewall at the Port of Windsor.
It aims to shift the transportation of goods from trucks to trains and ships, which will reduce pollution and congestion along the Highway 401 corridor. Doing so, says the government, will make it easier to move steel and aluminum products and attract potential new exports.
The improvements are also expected to prevent shoreline erosion and reduce the risk of flooding due to rising lake water levels caused by climate change. It will also enable the possibility of building a new cargo dock in the future that can be used for different purposes.
“This is transformational for our region,” said Steve Salmons, president and CEO of the Windsor Port Authority. “Short-sea container shipping on the Great Lakes, and soon to be at Port Windsor, will relieve congestion in the supply chain, reduce GHG’s, and increase access to world markets for industry in Windsor and Essex County.”
The National Trade Corridors Fund is a competitive, merit-based program designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in the critical transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada.
A total of $4.6 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been allocated to the program.