Photo: Henry Bellagnome from Troy, New York, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Few people driving over the Dunn Memorial Bridge think of Albany as a seaport, but ocean ships have tied up along the Hudson here since the Port of Albany opened in 1932. The river is tidal and deep enough to carry oceangoing vessels about 124 nautical miles north of New York Harbor.
The port is run by the Albany Port District Commission and covers land on both banks, in Albany and Rensselaer.
What comes and goes
Bulk cargo has always been the base: grain from a large elevator on the Albany side, scrap metal, salt, cement and wood pulp. The port also handles project cargo, the oversized pieces that are too big for highways, such as turbine and generator components. Many of those are made in the region and leave by barge.
Room to grow
The port has spent years buying and preparing land on Beacon Island in the town of Bethlehem for heavy manufacturing tied to offshore wind. That work has moved slower than planned as wind contracts on the East Coast have been canceled and rebid.
Truck routes through the South End neighborhood are a long-running concern for residents, and the port has worked on road changes to keep heavy traffic off residential streets.
For the Capital Region, the port is a reminder that the Hudson is still a working river, with rail, barge and truck connections that few inland cities have.
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