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View from the bay of Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal with the two all-electric cranes.

Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal Redevelopment

Maritime

The Port’s maritime businesses are our gateway to the world, leading our working waterfront and facilitating the movement of goods and people, internationally and domestically. To support our cargo business, the Port of San Diego completed Phase I of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal (TAMT) Redevelopment Plan in 2020. Also referred to as the Modernization, the project removed two obsolete warehouses and created much-needed laydown area for project cargo like windmill components. It also included improvements to on-dock rail, utilities, and new lighting and pavement. Additionally, an exemplary stormwater treatment system was developed to maximize stormwater capture on the terminal. The project brought new maritime cargo business to the Port and created more local jobs. The federal government recognized the importance of modernizing the terminal with a $10 million TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Port matched the grant with a $14 million contribution for a combined budget of $24 million.

In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded the Port a $5 million grant for planning, design, and environmental permitting for Phase II of the TAMT Redevelopment Plan. The project includes on-terminal rail track replacement, realignment, and load capacity improvements. It will also advance the planning of seismic upgrades, concrete resurfacing, potentially additional stormwater improvements, water and utility reconfiguration and upgrades, as well as front gate, perimeter fence, and operations center reconfiguration. These improvements will maximize operational areas on the terminal, make cargo handling and movement more efficient, and support future charging technologies for electric vehicles and equipment.

The announcement came June 25, 2024, from U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s office as part of the FY 2024 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grants program, which invests in road, rail, transit, and port projects across the country that may not quality for funding through other U.S. DOT grant programs. Sen. Padilla supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s substantial increase in funding for the RAISE program.

For next steps, the Port will collaborate with the U.S. Maritime Administration, an agency within the DOT, to finalize the grant agreement ahead of starting the planning, design, and environmental review process for TAMT Redevelopment Phase II. The timeline for construction is to be determined and is dependent on future funding.

The Port believes in the safekeeping and environmental care of our dynamic waterfront and surrounding communities. Through smart use of technology, this modernization project will enable the terminal to emit fewer of certain types of harmful pollutants at build-out than it does today.

Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project Timeline

October 30, 2015
October 30, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation awards $10 million TIGER grant funding to the Port for the Modernization.

December 13, 2016
December 13, 2016

The Board of Port Commissioners adopts Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal Redevelopment Plan. Vickerman & Associates, LLC advised on the plan. The Board also certifies the Final Environmental Impact Report for the plan.

October 10, 2017
October 10, 2017

The Board awards $12.3 million contact to Dick Miller, Inc. of San Marcos to begin work on Phase 1, also referred to as the Modernization.

December 2017
December 2017

Demolition and site improvements of Transit Shed 1 begins.

May 2019
May 2019

Transit Shed 1 demolition and site improvements are complete.

July 2019
July 2019

Demolition and site work for Transit Shed 2, along with rail improvements, begins.

September 2020
September 2020

Port celebrates completion of Phase I of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal Redevelopment Plan, also known as the Modernization Project.

June 2024
June 2024

Port awarded $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for planning, design, and environmental permitting for Phase II of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal (TAMT) Redevelopment Plan.

A time lapse video shows the demolition of an underutilized transit shed located adjacent to three of the terminal’s primary vessel berths. Material from the shed is being recycled and will be reused onsite as an aggregate base under a new pavement system. Additional work taking place under the first contract package for the Modernization Plan/Phase 1 of the redevelopment project includes:

  • the excavation, grading and compaction of the areas under the demolished buildings to support a finished pavement;
  • site utility improvements; and
  • stormwater BMP improvements.