Posted on May 30, 2017
President Donald Trump wants $108 million to deepen harbors for two U.S. seaports, while other ports scrambling to make room for larger cargo ships will benefit from a boost of more than $56 million already approved by Congress.
The Port of Jacksonville is one of five harbor-deepening projects scheduled to benefit from the $56 million already approved.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees maintenance and construction on U.S. waterways, on Wednesday evening released its spending plan for discretionary funds recently approved by Congress.
That plan includes includes $17.5 million for deepening to begin at the Port of Jacksonville. For projects still in the study and permitting phase, $2.8 million will go to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and $557,000 for the Sabine-Neches waterway that serves three Texas ports.
The discretionary funds should give a guaranteed boost to the Army Corps’ chosen harbor projects. Trump’s proposed $4.1 trillion budget for fiscal 2018, meanwhile, faces a long and uncertain road in Congress.
“Now you’ve got the congressional money and you’re going to see what’s coming to you right now,” said Jim Walker, navigation policy director for the American Association of Port Authorities. “You may be a year away from seeing the (fiscal) 2018 money.”
Source: jacksonville.com
