Study to Advance JaxPort Dredging May Begin in 2013

Submitted by Anonymous on July 19, 2012 - 10:46am

A study needed to bring larger ships into JaxPort may be moved up a year -- from 2014 to April 2013 --according to the Florida Times-Union.

The news, timed to create a positive atmosphere among business leaders in the northeast city for President Obamas campaign visit, would advance a $1.4 million Army Corps of Engineers study on deepening the channel.

The Jacksonville Port Authority and other port advocates have been pushing to upgrade facilities to handle increasing global maritime trade and the ongoing widening of the Panama Canal.

The sooner the feasibility study is completed, the quicker the Jacksonville Port Authority can seek funding to start designing the project and ultimately do the dredging, which will likely cost several hundred million dollars, the Florida Times-Union reported.