Obama Administration Commits to Seven Projects At Five Ports

The Obama Administration announced infrastructure projects to help modernize and expand 5 major U.S. ports, including Jacksonville, Miami, Savannah, New York and New Jersey, and Charleston. The administration also announced a White House-led task force of senior officials from various White House offices, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Departments of Transportation, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Treasury. The task force will develop a federal strategy and decision-making principles that focus on the economic return of investments into coastal ports and related infrastructure, it said. The port projects include:

• Port of Jacksonville: Finalize the federal feasibility study examining the costs and benefits of deepening the harbor. An expedited study process it announced will shave 7 years off of the 10 years they normally take, committing the federal government to finalize the study by April of 2013. The administration also said it will commit to completing all permits for the Jacksonville Port Intermodal Container Facility by July of 2013.
• Jacksonville Harbor: The Army Corps is completing a feasibility study on the benefits and costs of deepening the federal navigation channel at the port from its existing authorized project depth of 40 feet up to maximum project depth of 50 feet to accommodate larger cargo vessels and other ships. The Corps expects to complete its recommendations for improvements several years earlier than originally anticipated. The Port of Jacksonville plans to construct a new Intermodal Container Facility concurrently with the navigation improvements to improve the efficient movement of goods.
• Jacksonville Intermodal Container Facility: A new Intermodal Container Facility will increase the capacity of the port to handle containers that arrive or depart by rail, and thereby will reduce truck traffic on local and regional roads. The ICTF will include a five-track rail yard, two wide-span electric cranes, and a paved area for stacking containers and several support uses. The facility will use zero-emission, wide-span electric cranes for all lift operations. The $45 million project is being financed through a public-private partnership, including Department of Transportation TIGER grant funding of $10 million.
• Port of Miami: The administration committed to completing all federal reviews for the Port of Miami by August of 2012, and expects to complete the deepening of the channel this year.
• Miami Harbor: The Army Corps is working with the Port of Miami to construct an authorized project that involves deepening the Federal navigation at the port from its current depth of 42 feet to a depth of 50 feet. The Corps expects to complete the deepening of the Federal navigation channel by late 2012. Related infrastructure improvements include landside investments funded in part by the Department of Transportation.
• Port of Savannah: The Administration committed to completing all federal reviews for the Port of Savannah by November of 2012.
• Savannah Harbor: The Army Corps has completed a cost/benefit feasibility report on deepening the existing channel at Savannah Harbor from its current 42 feet to a depth of 47 feet.
• Port of New York and New Jersey: The administration committed to completing all federal permit and review decisions for the Bayonne Bridge by April 2013. In addition, the Administration will complete all remaining federal reviews for the New York and New Jersey Harbor by May 2013.
• New York and New Jersey Harbor: The Army Corps is in the final stages of constructing an authorized project that will deepen existing federal channels that provide access to four container terminals to a depth of 50 feet. The Corps expects to complete this $1.6 billion project in 2014.
• Bayonne Bridge Raising: The Port of New York and New Jersey plans to raise the height of the Bayonne Bridge by 2016 in order to provide enough vertical clearance to allow access to the Port's main container terminals by larger container vessels. This project, which is estimated to cost $1 billion paid with the Port Authority funding, involves raising the roadway from 151 feet to 215 feet above mean high water, while preserving the bridge's historic arch. Effective coordination between the Port Authority and the Coast Guard (the federal coordinating agency) and with other Federal agencies, is anticipated to reduce the overall permit decision-making and review timelines by several months, the administration said.
• Port of Charleston: The Administration committed to completing all federal reviews for the Port of Charleston by September 2015.
• Charleston Harbor: The Army Corps is implementing an aggressive planning schedule for the Charleston Harbor Feasibility Study that will examine the benefits and costs of deepening the federal navigation channel for Charleston Harbor from its existing 45 feet to a maximum of 50 feet. The study is expected to be complete within 3 years, 7 years less than the 10-year average.

"These types of projects not only aid in the efficient movement of freight, they pay long-term dividends by supporting job creation and economic growth, and help to ensure America's international competitiveness overseas," said Kurt Nagle, American Association of Port Authorities' president. "We hope that additional water- and land-side access projects at seaports will be added to the list."

The projects announced are the first seven of 43 additional projects that will be expedited, the AAPA said, with the rest to be announced in the coming weeks.