Evers, WisDOT announce $900,000 grant to build rail platform extensions at Port of Manitowoc

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Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced on Thursday a grant for improvements at the Port of Manitowoc. 

The $900,000 Harbor Assistance Program grant will help build new rail platform extensions at the City Centre LLC to aid with the manufacture, assembly and shipment of cranes for the U.S. Navy, the governor’s office said in a statement. 

Konecranes and Broadwind Heavy Fabrication make enormous cranes for the Navy at the Port of Manitowoc, equipment that’s used to expedite repairs to submarines. The state’s grant will help expand production, the governor’s office said. The cranes are assembled, tested and shipped to the east and west coasts and to Hawaii. 

“Last year, we were in Manitowoc to celebrate the completion of a massive crane and how the project secured existing jobs, created new ones, and served as a major source of regional economic development,” Evers said in a statement. “Now, with this most recent harbor assistance grant, I’m proud to continue our investments in the Port of Manitowoc, keeping Wisconsin at the forefront as we assist in our nation’s important naval operations and grow our manufacturing success.” 

Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson said, “Through our great partnerships with the city of Manitowoc and local businesses, we continue to work together to streamline and revitalize Manitowoc’s crane building tradition.”

The Harbor Assistance Program, started in 1979, helps municipalities with harbors maintain and improve waterborne commerce, the governor’s office said. The Harbor Advisory Council, which includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and several other organizations, reviews applications for the grants.