WILMINGTON — The Port of Wilmington has been awarded $6,002,296 to add about 140 commercial-truck parking spaces, 50 container-staging positions and security and technology improvements.
The U.S. Department of Transportation award comes through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program, which funds freight and highway projects intended to improve safety, efficiency and reliability. The project is designed to expand capacity at the New Hanover County port as freight demand grows.
The new parking area is planned for port drayage operators and long-haul carriers. North Carolina Ports told Port City Daily that the site will include secure overnight parking, driver-rest facilities, controlled entry and exit, continuous monitoring and space for drivers to comply with federal hours-of-service rules.
The 50 staging positions are intended to support early container arrivals, temporary storage, appointment-based terminal deliveries, export consolidation and coordination of imported containers. Port officials said the added capacity should reduce unauthorized roadside parking and improve safety while easing scheduling pressure around pickups and deliveries.
The award also includes a Smart Harbor pilot that would combine radio-frequency drone detection, thermal imaging, underwater robotics and an artificial-intelligence-assisted command system to protect freight movement and port operations, according to Port City Daily.
The grant is a completed funding award, but the available announcements do not provide a construction start date, completion date, job commitment or additional private-investment figure. The verified business consequence is new public funding for freight capacity, truck safety and cargo coordination at a port that links southeastern North Carolina businesses to domestic and international markets.
Image: Port of Wilmington container terminal. Office of U.S. Rep. David Rouzer/NC Business Desk.