by David Ball
Staff Writer
Last Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $933 billion Omnibus Appropriations Bill, and U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw helped ensure some of that money will reach Jacksonville.
Although the $9.5 million Crenshaw secured is just a drop in the total federal spending bucket for 2008, it will make significant impacts to several transportation projects headed by JTA and the Jacksonville Port Authority.
“Investments in Jacksonville’s infrastructure today will pave the way for our community’s economic growth tomorrow,” said Crenshaw. “Whether it is roads, buses or rail, our community depends on a modern and vital transportation network. This legislation provides critical funding for Jacksonville’s key transportation priorities.”
In the House Fiscal Year 2008 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, Crenshaw secured more than $7 million, including $2.8 million for dredging of the St. Johns River, $492,000 for the new Marine Science Research Institute at Jacksonville University and more than $3.7 million for dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway.
In the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Crenshaw included $2.45 million for local transportation projects including $490,000 for the Mayport Ferry and $1.96 million for JTA projects.
All the funding is included in the omnibus bill, which passed the House 272-142 and is awaiting final action from President Bush. According to Crenshaw, Congress eliminated $22 billion in discretionary spending from the original proposal, and the bill now limits spending to 2 percent above Bush’s requested level.
The largest portion of the Jacksonville funds will go to the Florida Inland Navigation District for maintenance dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway between Jacksonville and St. Augustine in the vicinity of Palm Valley. According to figures from Crenshaw’s office, the Intracoastal annually transports more than 1 million tons of commercial cargo and more than 500,000 recreational vessels.
However, the bigger economic impact should come from the Port Authority’s dredging of the St. Johns River — a more than $20 million project that Port officials say will increase safety and allow bigger ships with more cargo to serve Jacksonville.
“This is going to make a part of the harbor deeper where the pilots have felt it’s a notoriously difficult situation,” said Port Authority spokeswoman Nancy Rubin about the section of the river known as the Chaseville turn.
The first 14 miles of the channel have already been deepened to at least 41 feet, said Rubin, and the $2.8 million will go towards deepening the remaining portion between the Dames Point Terminal and Talleyrand Terminal east of Downtown.
Rubin said the project is necessary to accommodate increased demands expected with construction of the Mitsui O.S.K. terminal in 2009 and the eventual widening of the Panama Canal, as well as to keep Jacksonville competitive with other Southeast U.S. ports, such as Savannah.
Jacksonville port activities account for $2.7 billion in annual economic impact and support 50,000 jobs, said Crenshaw, and the dredging project should help those figures swell.
“As the global marketplace continues to modernize it is important we take every step to make sure JaxPort remains competitive,” he said. “By deepening the channel, JaxPort will be primed to attract even more private investment and jobs in the future.”
Even more federal money may be required in the future, as the Port Authority looks at further deepening the channel to more than 45 feet, which would require controlled blasting of the riverbed.
“The Army Corps of Engineers is studying the next deepening project, especially the environmental impacts,” said Rubin. “But all is going well right now, and I believe the preliminary stages of the study tell us we have a project.”
However, some of the federal money that may not be used right away is the $490,000 for the Mayport Ferry, which is earmarked for vessel refurbishing or replacement.
Rubin said the backup ferry Blackbeard isn’t worth refurbishing and a replacement ferry could cost $6 million to $12 million.
“Obviously, we’re thrilled to have any kind of assistance in any way,” said Rubin. “But we’ve had no conversation about buying a new vessel right now. We’re not even going to talk about buying a new vessel until into our third year of operating.”
The Port Authority took over operations of the Ferry, which connects A1A across the St. Johns River between Mayport Village and Ft. George Island, from the City on Oct. 1.
Shortly after, the Port Authority raised fares, including from $3.25 to $5 for passenger cars, and saw a 12 percent decline in ridership from the same time last year. However, Rubin said the Port Authority is still learning the ferry business.
“November is the only month we have full figures for, and yes, ridership was down 12 percent, but we had budgeted for worse,” she said. “I attribute that not just to the rate adjustment, but also to a lot of uncertainty surrounding the service.”
As for funding for JTA’s projects, $980,000 is slated for the construction of a new roadway bridge on Heckscher Drive, which Crenshaw said provides significant access to major port facilities, industrial development and is used as a hurricane evacuation route.
Of that, $490,000 will go towards purchases of buses and bus shelters used at stops with large numbers of elderly riders. Another $490,000 is slated for bus, Skyway and pedestrian services at the Florida Department of Transportation’s proposed Jacksonville Transportation Center planned near the Prime Osborn Center.