Port Director Says Jobs and Economic Development Come With Ship Channel Improvements

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Alabama Port Director Jimmy Lyons had just returned from a trip to Montgomery and the opening day of a special session of the legislature. Lawmakers are considering Governor Kay Ivey’s proposed infrastructure bill, part of which would help fund the widening and deepening of the Mobile Bay ship channel.

The project is being studied by the Army Corps of Engineers and if all goes well, Lyons says the permitting process could begin by the end of the year. If that happens, construction on the channel could begin by 2020. It will take about three years to complete.

But it’s a project that could spur a huge increase in economic development and create thousands of jobs not only on the Gulf Coast but throughout the state.

“The port is basically an economic development facilitator,” says Lyons.

A larger ship channel would allow larger container ships into the port, more goods mean a lower unit price for commodities since more can be shipped in just one haul.

Lawmakers working on the infrastructure bill have set aside $10m to $12m in the current version. The state’s share of the overall $400m project would be $150m.

Lyons says other ports such as Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville are also working on their own ship channels. He says if Alabama doesn’t improve the Mobile Bay channel, the state will be at a competitive disadvantage.

“If we are competitive, that helps us bring jobs in here,” he says.

_{Source: wkrg.com}