AUGUSTA — Earlier this week, the Maine Port Authority and the Maine Department of Transportation awarded a bid for the construction of a freezer warehouse at the International Marine Terminal in Portland to Americold Logistics LLC.

This exciting development is a key success on a multiyear and multimillion-dollar improvement effort at the terminal. It also illustrates how the state of Maine can work with the private sector to improve Maine’s economy and create good jobs.

Under the leadership of Gov. Paul R. LePage, MDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt and the Maine Port Authority, the International Marine Terminal has undergone a substantial infrastructure improvement that will include the freezer warehouse, but entails so much more.

Over the last six years, the state has invested heavily in modernizing the Portland facility, transforming the International Marine Terminal from a dilapidated, underutilized mixed-use waterfront eyesore into a state-of-the-art, containerized freight terminal.

Improvements include acquisition of land, relocation of businesses, purchase of a new crane and refer plugs, environmental cleanup, port security improvements and site preparation.

Railroad improvements will connect Maine to regional and then national rail systems. Secure drop-and-hook capacity has been increased, reducing trucking costs by allowing drivers to come when convenient and avoid rush hours.

The new freezer warehouse to be built in 2016 will support Maine’s booming food and beverage industry by giving it a global reach.

The award to Americold is proof that the state’s investments in the International Marine Terminal were sound. The fact that the largest cold storage owner and operator in the world wants to make a substantial investment in the Portland waterfront is a testament to the strategic location of the port of Portland and to the value of Maine’s food and beverage industry.

Americold operates 175 facilities, with over 1 billion cubic feet of temperature-controlled space, in six different countries. In the United States alone, it operates 145 facilities in 38 states.

Americold enjoys a strategic relationship with Eimskip – the Icelandic shipping company that moved most of its eastern U.S. operations to the International Marine Terminal in 2013. In fact, Americold’s freezer warehouse proposal includes the assertion that Eimskip is considering a move of its corporate headquarters to Maine.

It is important to note that all of Maine benefits from smart infrastructure investment in our ports, particularly those that help efficiently move products of all types.

Improvements at the International Marine Terminal help blueberry growers in Washington County, broccoli growers and processors in Aroostook County, lobstermen along the coast and companies like L.L. Bean ship its products all over the world.

Proposed navigation improvements at the port of Searsport will allow for larger ships to continue to provide raw materials, such as seaweed from Africa, road salt and clay from South America, and windmill components from Europe and Asia.

These materials are essential to support manufacturing operations across Maine. The project will also protect the environment by creating safer navigation channels for modern vessels.

Reconstruction of the breakwater in Eastport provides safe harbor to a large commercial fishing fleet in Down East Maine. The natural deep-water approach and dockside depth and large storage capacity at Eastport offer enormous potential for the forest products industry of eastern Maine.

Shipping goods by cargo ships and freight trains reduces the number of heavy trucks on our roads. This means that roads last longer and drivers experience less congestion with improved air quality.

It also means reduced logistical costs for Maine’s businesses, increasing the competitiveness of Maine-made products.

There is more to come. The Maine DOT is working on another public-private partnership to build and operate an articulated tug barge to support a marine highway along the Eastern Seaboard.

Future investment plans also include improved rail capacity at the International Marine Terminal and at switching yards across the state, as well as the removal of bridges that block double-stacked train loads from going to the Midwest.

These sorts of smart investments in logistical capability are how we make Maine more competitive and help businesses create jobs throughout the state.

One needs to look no further than the historic ship captains’ mansions along Maine’s coast to appreciate the wonderful history of prosperity that Mainers enjoyed by engaging in international commerce. The Maine Port Authority and Maine DOT are dedicated to supporting a revival of that prosperity for all of Maine now and for generations to come.