NORTH KINGSTOWN – The Port of Davisville will receive a $625,000 federal grant to expand capacity for imports and exports including automobiles, cargo and offshore wind components.
The grant, announced Thursday by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin, will be matched by the Quonset Development Corp., yielding $1.25 million for the expansion.
The funds will be used to pave and stripe Terminal 5, which covers 13 acres. It cannot be used for importing vehicles now because it is dusty and has no delineated storage, according to a news release.
The new funding, from the U.S Economic Development Administration, will supplement $1.6 million in new marine hardware received by the port this year, to increase capacity at Terminals 4 and 5.
The port set a record for automobile imports in 2015, with a total of 227,021 brought in through Davisville, 48,806 more than in 2014.