The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will receive $70 million each from the Army Corps of Engineers for harbor maintenance, seismic resiliency and navigational safety improvements.

Collectively, the San Pedro Bay port complex was allocated a record of some $140 million from a federal fund that was set up in the 1980s, the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. It is funded by a commercial cargo tax paid by U.S. importers moving goods through U.S. ports.

“Donor ports” contribute more than half of the total funding to the program, but have traditionally received less than 3% of the money back for harbor improvements.

Reforms enacted in 2020 established a framework to address that imbalance and an initial round of funding was allocated to donor ports in fiscal year 2024, but none was allocated for 2025, leading to additional reforms this year for more equitable funding formulas.

Congress has appropriated $3.2 billion of the funding for fiscal year 2026, designed to keep ports well maintained and competitive.

“After years of donor and energy transfer ports being shortchanged,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla said in a written statement, “I’m pleased to see the Army Corps finally implementing the reforms Congress enacted in 2020 to ensure these ports receive their fair share.”

The investments, he added, will “allow the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to move forward on critical infrastructure and maintenance projects, including seismic upgrades, wharf repairs, and other essential improvements that keep our supply chains strong and resilient.”

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson also touted the funding.

“Long Beach has always been a city where global trade and local opportunity go hand in hand, and this investment ensures we can continue to deliver for both,” Richardson said. “These federal dollars will strengthen critical infrastructure at the Port of Long Beach, supporting good-paying jobs, improving safety and resilience along our waterfront, and keeping goods moving efficiently through one of the nation’s most vital gateways.”

At the Port of Long Beach, funding will support projects that include maintenance dredging, replacing the steel bulkhead along the Back Channel, upgrading fenders and bollards, repairing berthing systems, seismic retrofit and repairs for the Pier C wharf, seismic improvement of the Pier F dike and miscellaneous rock dike and wharf repairs throughout the port. About $500 million in eligible projects are planned during the next decade.

“The Port of Long Beach is a leading gateway contributing to the U.S. economy,” said POLB CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba, “and this funding will help us keep commerce flowing safely and efficiently as we build the Port of the Future and double our cargo throughput to 20 million container units annually by 2050.”

The Port of Los Angeles plans to use its allocation for a variety of maintenance and repair projects, including dredging, seismic safety upgrades, wharf and fender repairs, pile replacements, sediment removal and remediation, and improvements to slips and channels. The Port of Los Angeles has identified more than $6 billion in eligible expanded-use projects, many of which are shovel-ready and can immediately utilize new HMTF funding. Priority projects include:

Berths 49-50 wharf and fender repair ($25 million).
Berth 305 wharf retrofit ($18 million).
Berth 126 wharf seismic upgrade ($322 million).
Berths 238-239 Marine Oil Terminal improvements ($35 million).
Berths 167-169 Marine Oil Terminal improvements ($44 million).
Legacy sediment removal and remediation ($140 million).

“Right now, the port (of L.A.) is looking at more than $6 billion in future navigational maintenance and repair projects,” said POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka. “With this support, repairs can move forward more quickly, ensuring that our Port’s infrastructure continues to meet world-class expectations.”