State transportation secretary tours Port of Hueneme
The Port of Hueneme hosted California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin July 2 for a tour of various projects made possible by $172 million in grants it has received since 2023.
One of the grants for $80 million came from $1.2 billion in Port & Freight Infrastructure Program funds approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in his post-pandemic 2023-24 budget.
The pandemic had a devastating impact on the state’s ports with dozens of ships forced to sit off the coast, Omishakin said in remarks at the event.
“But the governor understood the moment,” he said.
“He understood the moment and proposed more than a billion and a half dollars to support ports and supply chain in the state,” Omishakin said.
The port has been able to leverage the $80 million state grant to generate another $92.3 in grants, including $42.3 million in 2024 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Port projects Omishakin toured July 2 included the scheduled rebuilding of its south terminal shoreside power station, part of the port’s ambition to become the first zero emissions port in the country.
Another project he saw was the removal of an obsolete on-dock warehouse and foundation slab on the port’s wharf one.
