State to send $500K to Port Authority for ULA dock
The Decatur-Morgan County Port Authority will receive $500,000 from the state for dock improvements it made to a dock used primarily by United Launch Alliance.
The Port Authority voted in November to proceed with a $659,000 contract for a project at the Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park roll-on/roll-off (RORO) dock. The project is now nearly 100% complete, according to Port Authority President and CEO Jeremy Nails.
The state appropriation was included in the fiscal 2027 General Fund budget, which the Legislature passed in the final week of its 2026 session. In November, Nails said he expected to receive $250,000 from the state for the project, with the potential for more. The amount in the budget that passed doubled that number.
“It shows their commitment to the operations of our river ports and traffic on the Tennessee River, as well as supporting United Launch Alliance’s efforts to ramp up their production and shipping of Vulcan rockets,” Nails said.
The RORO dock was built specifically for ULA. The improvements will be completed shortly ahead of the arrival of SpaceShip, ULA’s second rocket transportation vessel that will allow it to carry parts from Decatur to launch sites in California and Florida.
The dock improvements included a new tie-off point and extended walkway to dock SpaceShip. ULA expects SpaceShip to be sent to Decatur this summer.
Exerpt from Decatur Daily article by GraciAnn Goodin.
Read the full article here: https://www.decaturdaily.com/news/morgan_county/state-to-send-500k-to-port-authority-for-ula-dock/article_4434eb71-1e97-468d-ae43-b0290251e0c2.html