The Jacksonville Port Authority cleared another hurdle in its efforts to increase the time available for ships to call on local ports.
A five-member U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Review Board unanimously voted Wednesday to move the Mile Point project to the next stage of the approval process. It gave the project its unconditional endorsement.
The port’s Mile Point project was created to improve the flow of the St. Johns River at Mile Point, where Intracoastal Waterway and river currents pose navigational hindrances for deep draft vessels during certain tidal conditions.
The tidal conditions limit access to the ports to two four-hour windows each day and the correction will allow for up to two more hours daily, according to port COO Chris Kauffmann during an October City Waterways Commission meeting.
The estimated $40 million project was presented Tuesday to the Civil Review Board and a delegation from Jacksonville attended the meeting to stress the importance of the project.
“We urge you to move this project forward thoughtfully but expeditiously. Our future depends on it,” said Paul Anderson, CEO of the Jacksonville Port Authority.
He was joined by Doug Darling, executive director for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Jay Winegeart of the St. Johns River Bar Pilots Association, and Col. Alfred Pantano, Jacksonville District commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Corps Jacksonville District Program Manager Jerry Scarborough also attended the meeting and said he was impressed by the project’s unanimous approval by the board.
“Unanimous approval doesn’t happen that often. Typically a project will have to go back for some review, but what made this work was we had all the right people at the meeting and all the important points were brought forward,” he said.
“We had a well thought-out presentation. All the people involved with the decision were impressed and felt good about moving forward with the project,” he said.
Anderson’s presentation to the group focused on the job creation and economic impact that will result from the Mile Point correction.
The review panel also heard details of the project design and benefits from representatives of the U.S Army Corps Jacksonville District.
The Civil Review Board is made up of military and civilian Corps leadership.
The project now will be sent to state and federal agencies for review and comment. A final Chief of Engineer’s report from the Army Corps in Washington is due before Congress is asked to authorize and fund the project.
The report is expected to be released in March.
More information on the project is available at www.jaxport.com/content/mile-point.
The port also recently received $10 million from the federal TIGER grant program for its proposed Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at Dames Point.
356-2466