$15 Million Awarded to Port of Oakland Army Base First Phase Rail Project

Oakland, CA—June 19, 2012 —The U.S. Department of Transportation today awarded a $15 million TIGER grant to the Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal (OHIT) Rail Access project of the Port of Oakland. These funds, along with additional local and state funding, will improve rail access to and from the Port and expand the Port’s rail capacity, leading to faster and cleaner goods movement, while also providing vital rail access for the proposed Oakland Army Base development.

This is great news for Oakland, said Mayor Jean Quan. This grant is another giant step forward toward implementing a transformative project at the Port of Oakland, which will translate into thousands of jobs for our city and will spur economic growth for generations to come. We are grateful to Secretary LaHood and the Obama Administration for their leadership in creating jobs. I also want to thank all of the supporters who helped us secure this grant, starting with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Governor Jerry Brown, U.S. Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and a long list of business, labor, community, and local government partners.

Close collaboration between the City and Port has made this possible, and I have to thank Council President Larry Reid and Mayor Jean Quan's stellar team of City Administrator Deanna Santana and Assistant City Administrator Fred Blackwell for their commitment and support, observed Port Board President Calloway. This federal commitment is also essential in helping preserve our $242 million in state funding, as this demonstrates to the California Transportation Commission the significance and momentum of this project.

“We need support from every level of government if we are going to make this project a reality. The state is heavily invested in the OHIT along with the local, public, and private sectors because this project will deliver future benefits locally, regionally, and nationally, said Port Executive Director Omar R. Benjamin. Additionally, these funds will help create good-paying construction jobs.”

This project is about making the Port of Oakland more competitive and cleaner in line with the Port of Oakland FY11-15 Strategic Plan. Enhanced rail capacity means the Oakland seaport can accommodate more goods by rail rather than by truck, resulting in less truck traffic, congestion, and emissions, while lowering costs for trade-dependent businesses, especially the Port’s vital agricultural export partners.

The $15 million is from the fourth round of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program (FY2012). There was $500 million available in this round of the TIGER grants nationwide. This is the second TIGER grant secured by the Port of Oakland. The federal funding will be matched more than one-to-one to launch the first phase of the Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal (OHIT) Rail Access project, which is part of the joint City-Port OAB redevelopment plan.

About the Port of Oakland

The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports nearly 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and at portofoakland.com.