Marquette awarded $1.6 million grant for port improvements

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Some port facilities in Marquette are in line for upgrades with a $1.6 million U.S. Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Program grant.

Officials said the work will involve improving port infrastructure, dredging encroaching sediment to protect port infrastructure and depositing dredge materials on shore to enhance coastal restoration and protect road infrastructure, The Mining Journal in Marquette reported Wednesday.

The project is a collaborative effort between the city, Cleveland-Cliffs, Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad and the Superior Watershed Partnership, Marquette City Manager Karen Kovacs told the newspaper in an email.

The city initially applied for the grant in 2020. While that was ultimately not funded, it resubmitted a proposal in July, with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad covering matching funds of $750,000. The total cost of the project is expected to be around $2.63 million.