WILMINGTON — The Port of Wilmington was awarded a grant to expand its parking operations for truck drivers as part of a $200-million effort from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced investments to expand truck parking in 12 states through USDOT’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program. Duffy’s announcement stated 40% of truckers spend over an hour a day searching for parking.
The North Carolina State Ports Authority was awarded $6 million to construct approximately 140 dedicated commercial motor vehicle parking spaces and approximately 50 container staging positions at the Port of Wilmington.
According to the Ports Authority, the CMV parking spaces are designed specifically for port drayage operations and long-haul freight carriers. The parking area will provide secure overnight parking, hours-of-service compliance opportunities, driver rest facilities, access-controlled entry and exit, and continuous monitoring and security. gra
The award includes 50 dedicated container staging positions that enable early container arrivals, temporary container storage, appointment-based terminal deliveries, export container consolidation, and import container coordination.
“The additional capacity addresses the regional shortage of secure truck parking, reduces unauthorized roadside parking, and improves driver safety,” ports spokesperson Laura Blair wrote in an email to Port City Daily.
Blair said the project will also implement the Smart Harbor Pilot Program, an integration of multiple commercially available technologies—RF drone detection, thermal imaging, underwater robotics, and AI-assisted command systems—into a single, unified maritime resiliency platform designed specifically to protect freight movement and port operations.
“This award and the associated projects work in concert to propel North Carolina Ports to achieve its winning aspiration of being the Southeast’s most trusted, preferred, efficient, customer centric gateway by providing seamless, diversified total cost-advantage solutions for customers, bolstering North Carolina’s economy,” Brian Clark, Executive Director, North Carolina State Ports Authority, said in a press release.
Clark also thanked Congressman David Rouzer, representative for North Carolina’s seventh congressional district, for the support of the grant.
“The Port of Wilmington connects Southeastern North Carolina to the world. As freight demand continues to grow, these improvements will help move goods more efficiently, strengthen our supply chains, and support the businesses, workers, and communities who rely on the port,” Rouzer said in a press release. “I’m pleased to see this investment come to our community, which will help ensure the Port of Wilmington can continue to support economic growth across the region.”
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