The Port of Chickasaw will receive a nearly $7 million federal grant to modernize aging infrastructure after U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) secured a $6,954,000 Port Infrastructure Development Program award for the project.

The funding will rehabilitate docking structures and construct a new bulkhead along both sides of an existing slip at the port — upgrades Britt has pushed for since 2023.

“The Port of Chickasaw is integral to the operations of the Alabama State Port Authority and the Port of Mobile, which is why I have continued working with the City of Chickasaw to get this accomplished over the past several years,” Britt said. “I’m thrilled this grant has been awarded under Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, and I thank him for his leadership in recognizing the importance of this project.”

“Given the Port of Mobile’s rapid growth and critical importance to U.S. commerce, modernizing the Port of Chickasaw’s infrastructure to support the deepest container port in the Gulf of America will greatly benefit the local, regional, and our national economy.”

The need is clear. The Port of Chickasaw’s north dock was constructed in 1943 from timber pilings and can no longer support the weight of modern cargo loads. Much of the port’s existing infrastructure dates to the 1960s.

As a shallow draft port running barge, tug, and freight operations with a short line rail connection to the Port of Mobile, Chickasaw plays a direct supporting role in Mobile’s operations.

The Port of Mobile has seen explosive growth in recent years, completing a $366 million harbor deepening project that made it the deepest container port in the Gulf. Alabama’s only seaport carries an $85 billion statewide economic impact and supports nearly 313,000 jobs.

In April of this year, Britt announced a $34 million funding increase for the Mobile Bay.

Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].