The grant will support expansion and upgrade of the port's grain elevator operated by WestPlains LLC.Photo – Port of BrownsvilleThe Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded the Port of Brownsville in Texas a $14.5 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant to improve efficiency and safety of its grain storage and loading facilities.
The grant will support the development, expansion and upgrade of the port's three-million-bushel grain elevator operated by WestPlains LLC. The project includes rail and road improvements.
Once completed, the improvements will create a new cost-efficient option for grain producers from the Rio Grande Valley and other parts of Texas and the United States to export goods around the world, port officials said in a press release.
"We have a lot of demand from our customers to export sorghum, wheat, animal feed ingredients and other commodities,” said WestPlains Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Amit Bhandari.
The port is a major exporter of steel, aluminum and wind energy products in South Texas. It is served by OmniTRAX’s Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railway, which interchanges with Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway Co. and Kansas City Southern de Mexico.
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