Port of Charleston, other South Carolina infrastructure benefit from federal investment

It may only be January, but with just under a year to address the supply chain issues that plagued so many holiday shoppers this season it’s already time to plan ahead.

Since the Port of Charleston is vital to our state – and our economy – South Carolinians understand the need to keep goods flowing to consumers from coast to coast. That’s why I’m looking forward to the positive impact from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden recently signed into law.

This historic investment in America’s infrastructure is a good first step to ensuring our ports, trains lines, roads and bridges are prepared for evolving demands.

Americans shop differently today.

Today’s consumers want just-in-time delivery on everything from tools to toilet paper.

Put simply, we need to build more ports to get goods to consumers while also improving the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the ports America depends on today.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the most significant investment in American waterways – ever, and America’s ports are due for modernization and expansion to keep up with the increasingly global supply chain.

The Port of Charleston is one of the top 10 busiest ports in the United States, but globally, U.S. ports are much less active than our Chinese competitors.

Today, only four U.S. ports are among the top 50 busiest ports in the world, while China takes the majority of the top 10 slots.

New funding can revive and expand America’s ports.

According to the latest study from the American Association of Port Authorities, marine cargo activity at America’s seaports added $5.4 trillion to the economy in 2018. Each day in South Carolina, “an average of five vessels sail into our state’s harbors, carrying cargo worth more than $200 million,” according to the South Carolina Ports Authority.

Additional investment has the potential to reinvigorate our economy and drive further growth.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, combined with the recently released Department of Transportation Ports Action Plan, will improve America’s competitiveness in the world.

Across the country, Americans can expect $17 billion in dedicated funding to modernize and improve port infrastructure and waterways and another $25 billion to deal with the traffic congestion around ports.

The Ports Action Plan jumpstarts the process, giving the government 45 days to roll out the first $240 million in grant funding to modernize ports and marine highways, 60 days to identify construction projects for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at coastal ports and inland waterways, and 90 days to create a list of critical ports of entry for modernization and expansion.

In addition to America’s vital ports, we must address domestic supply chain pain points from start to finish to compete globally.

That means connecting ports to improved freight infrastructure to alleviate traffic congestion and ensuring highways and major roads are designed to keep cargo moving rather than snarl up traffic.

Today, the United States tallies 1 in 5 miles of highways and major roads in poor condition.

Here in South Carolina, there is a plan to improve more than 7,000 miles of highway.

These bad roads and bridges keep drivers on the roads longer and put additional wear and tear on vehicles. That adds to the headaches for both professional drivers and locals who need safe, reliable roads every day.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act prioritizes America’s roads and bridges by keeping our surface transportation programs running for five more years and adding another $110 billion to fix our roads and bridges while undertaking major infrastructure projects that will transform communities.

South Carolina can expect $4.6 billion to fix our deteriorating highways and another $274 million to repair and replace bridges.

The current issues plaguing our supply chain have been years in the making, and we recognize that funding alone is not the answer.

It’s going to take all stakeholders – including America’s engineering industry – working collaboratively to get things moving.

But as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explained earlier this year, “Decades of underinvestment in our supply chain infrastructure combined with unprecedented consumer demand, and the global pandemic all combined have put supply chains to the test.”

America has neglected its infrastructure for too long, but this investment is a step in the right direction.

Melvin Williams is based in Charleston, and serves as board vice chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies and vice president and senior client development manager at the engineering firm Terracon.