Evergreen Reporter

Port Orchard, WA – On July 6 U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg hosted a press conference at the Port Orchard Marina to celebrate the recent $9.4 million RAISEgrant awarded to the Port of Bremerton to replace the Port Orchard Breakwater, which is damaged and more than 20 years past its useful lifespan. They were joined at the press conference by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Governor Jay Inslee, Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06), Suquamish Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman, and Port of Bremerton CEO Jim Rothlin.

Senator Murray established the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program in 2009 and has worked year after year to secure funding for the program. Washington state has been awarded RAISE grant funding every single one of the 15 grant cycles since Murray established the program, and in the latest grant cycle whose awards were announced last month, Washington state got the most RAISE grant funding it has ever received—and the most funding out of all 50 states.

“For nearly fifty years, this breakwater has supported Port Orchard’s economy and this community in so many ways,” said Senator Murray. “It protects a marina that is a destination for tourists and visitors and a space for community events, and the ports where ships of all kinds set out. It is critical to first responders, commercial fishermen—including Tribal fishermen—commuters who take the ferry every day, and to all the people who make their home and their living along this beautiful waterfront.”

“But as important as this breakwater is, it is also twenty years past its lifespan and at serious risk of failure,” said Senator Murray. “That’s why I was so excited to announce $9.4 million dollars in federal funding through the RAISE grant program for a new breakwater here. I created the RAISE grant program back in 2009 to keep Washington state and America moving forward, and I’ve worked year after year to continue this vital program to make sure communities like Port Orchard have an opportunity to compete for federal funding. This is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the appropriations process at work, investing in our communities to make life better for folks in Port Orchard and across the country.”

The $9.4 million awarded to the Port of Bremerton for the Port Orchard Breakwater Replacement Project will replace the 48-year-old Port Orchard Marina Breakwater, a 1,500-foot-long public breakwater that is damaged, more than 20 years past its useful lifespan, and at risk of failure. The breakwater supports emergency response services and commercial fisherman including Tribal fisherman, and it is critical to protecting the Port Orchard Marina and commuters who take the ferry every day. It includes moorage reserved exclusively for the Suquamish Tribe and is a destination for recreational activities—contributing more than $10 million annually to the region’s economy. The design phase to replace the breakwater is currently underway and the Port plans to begin construction in mid-2023, with completion expected in 2025.

RAISE grants—which were originally created by Senator Murray under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as TIGER grants—can be used for a wide variety of infrastructure projects with local or regional impact. Senator Murray notably helped secure $7.5 billion for the RAISE program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in addition to annual funding for the program that Congress provides through the regular appropriations process. This year, Washington state received nearly $133 million in RAISE grant funding for nine projects across the state, punching above its weight to receive highly competitive federal funding. Over the life of the RAISE grant program, Washington state has received 44 RAISE grants totaling $613.997 million.

Original source can be found here.