Officials at Port Everglades can move to the next phase of the $374 million deepening and widening port project since receiving a signed Chief of Engineers Report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday.
The approval clears the way for the port to seek Congressional funding so its main navigational channels can be deepened to 48 feet from 42 feet, and its entrance channel can be widened. Once complete, the project will allow the port to accommodate large cargo vessels called post-Panamax ships, which cannot currently enter the port fully loaded. No property taxes will be used for the project.
An estimated 4,700 construction jobs and 1,500 direct jobs will be created from the additional cargo capacity the port will be able to service.
Port Everglades has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Review Board for 18 years to get the approval. The project study first received Congressional authorization in 1996 and has since required environmental and economic feasibility studies to move forward.
“After almost two decades of study and research, we are confident that the Corps has developed a plan that keeps Port Everglades competitive globally so that jobs are sustained and created locally,” said Broward County Mayor Tim Ryan in a prepared statement.
Source: SFBJ