PORT TOWNSEND — The Port of Port Townsend has received a $2.3 million grant to purchase a new variable width Marine Travelift boat hoist.

The grant announced Thursday from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Economic Adjustment Assistance Disaster Relief and Recovery Program will cover 80 percent of the $3 million lift and the port will provide a 20 percent match of $586,458.

Executive Director Eron Berg said the variable width hoist could expand and contract with a boat in the sling, thus enabling the port to block vessels closer together and maximize space in the boat yard and optimize operations.

“It will allow the port to haul and block more boats, creating more work and more jobs,” Berg said.

The port owns a 27-year-old fixed width 300-ton Travelift that is reaching the end of its useful life, one 70-ton lift and two 75-ton lifts. The new lift will be built to order and the hope is to have it operational in early 2025, Berg said.

“We’ll keep our current lift at least a few years, because you always want a bit of redundancy,” Berg said. “But we’ll revisit that because there’s always a cost involved in keeping and maintaining equipment.

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer wrote a letter in support of the port’s grant application.

”This grant to modernize the Port of Port Townsend is a terrific shot in the arm for folks here,” Kilmer said in a press release. “By bringing in a new boat hoist and upgrading the Port’s maritime capabilities, we’re creating jobs and paving a path for sustainable economic growth.”

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the EDA is a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“Upgrading Port Townsend’s boat yard will help ensure that more local fishing and recreational vessels can get the service they need from nearby marine trades businesses,” said Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace.

The Economic Adjustment Assistance Disaster Relief and Recovery Program provided funds for projects addressing economic challenges in communities recovering from federally declared disasters in 2021 and 2022. Jefferson County was affected by two declarations during this time.