November/December 2013
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The Port of Baltimore
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Serving the US East and Gulf Coasts
Ship Agents and Brokers
Baltimore
“your HOST on the waterfront since 1923”
NEWSMAKERS
Transportation Secretary
Smith Goes to the BPA
J
ames T. Smith, Jr., who was
appointed Maryland Transportation
Secretary in May, spoke at a recent
meeting of the Baltimore Port Alliance (BPA).
Smith oversees a $4.4 billion
annual budget, one bolstered by the
recent increase in the gas tax. Projects
totaling $3 billion have been announced
for Maryland, a task force is trying to
figure out how to help local jurisdictions
supplement their transportation programs,
and the department is also updating its
20-year vision for transportation.
As a former county executive, Smith
is well aware of the vital role the Port of
Baltimore plays in the region’s economy,
noting that both the Port and Baltimore
Washington International Thurgood
Marshall Airport “are booming.” He cited
the recent example of the Port receiving
a $10 million federal Transportation
Investment Generating Economic
Recovery (TIGER) grant. Vice President
Joe Biden announced the award during
a visit in early September as a megaship
was being unloaded at the Seagirt Marine
Terminal’s 50-foot-deep berth.
“To have those cranes taking
containers off — that’s a pretty good
visual, and I was really proud of the Port
of Baltimore,” Smith said, adding, “Having
the shipping channels to accompany [the
post-Panamax ships] is critical.”
He also cited the passage of P3 —
public-private partnership — legislation
that paves the way for financing large
projects. Such a partnership between the
Maryland Port Administration (MPA) and
Ports America Chesapeake enabled the
construction of the deeper Seagirt berth.
Smith noted a P3 might be used for the
Baltimore subway’s Purple Line and parts
of the Red Line. The proposed subway
expansion, he said, “will reduce traffic on
our highways, making a better way for
freight and cargo leaving the Port.”
Smith went on to explain the impor-
tance of environmental initiatives; the
transportation budget includes $425
million for stream restoration, wetland
protection and stormwater management.
“Environmental stewardship has got to be
a part of everything we do,” he said.
