In Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, a deteriorating steel dock is being replaced with a $1 million grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA). Located about 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River, this is the last commercial dock upriver of the city, limiting the region’s ability to transport materials by freight. The replacement will help expand the local economy and better serve barge traffic.
Armstrong Terminal is a full-service bulk material handling and storage facility that processes all types of dry bulk materials for the fertilizer and animal feed markets. It depends on trucks and barges to distribute its materials nationwide. Built in the 1940s, the dock is deteriorating due to the river, weather and industrial use. The owner, Armstrong Terminal Inc., expects the replacement to double the barge traffic at the dock, from 50 to 100 per year.
The investment, awarded in March 2024, comes from the CFA through its Multimodal Transportation Fund. The program provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe, reliable transportation system is available for Pennsylvania residents. Funds may be used for the development, rehabilitation and enhancement of transportation assets to existing communities, including streetscape, lighting and sidewalk enhancement; improvements to pedestrian safety; connectivity among transportation assets; and transit-oriented development.
Western Pennsylvania is ranked in the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization’s top 25 priority energy communities based on coal industry employment loss. In addition to closing mines, the region has also experienced the closure of several coal-fired power plants. The downturn of the coal industry and the decline in waterway freight transportation has had a significant impact on the region’s economy, and diversifying the economy is of high importance.
To address this challenge, in July 2024, the Energy Communities IWG launched the Waterways Freight Diversification and Economic Development Initiative. The initiative aims to revitalize communities along the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela River Corridor (Three Rivers Corridor) by promoting economic development and freight diversification. This effort seeks to leverage the region’s waterways to boost freight transportation, create good-paying jobs and stimulate local economies.
The Energy Communities IWG is charged with advancing an interagency commitment of robust federal leadership in direct partnership with energy communities to foster economic investment and revitalization and ensure the creation of good-paying jobs. The Energy Communities IWG has identified billions of dollars in funding to support transitioning energy communities in reviving their economy for the future. Investments in projects such as the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board help ensure new jobs and opportunities will become available in all pockets of America.