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Jacksonville gets $93 million from feds for port deepening

JaxPort calls it a milestone for the project that covers 11 miles of river and a "significant win for Jacksonville."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — JaxPort announced Monday it will receive an additional $93 million in federal spending for deepening the St. Johns River so bigger cargo container ships on Asian trade lanes will call on Jacksonville.

Jacksonville’s deepening of the St. Johns River is in line for an additional $93 million from the federal government, propelling JaxPort closer to what’s needed to pay for dredging all the way to Blount Island and compete for global cargo carried by huge ships.

JaxPort called it a “milestone for the project” that will deepen 11 miles of river from a depth of 40 feet down to 47 feet.

“This is a significant win for Jacksonville and as I have said before, the continued support from our state and federal partners demonstrates the strength of JaxPort’s future,” Mayor Lenny Curry said.

The $484 million deepening has secured a total of $394 million so far from the federal government, the state of Florida, JaxPort, and port tenant SSA Jacksonville, according to JaxPort.

RELATED: Uncertainty remains over who will pay for JAXPORT dredging project

The $93 million in federal support announced Monday comes from two pots of money. The 2019-20 budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers puts up $57.5 million for the deepening.

President Donald Trump’s proposed 2020-21 budget puts in another $35.5 million for the deepening.

This marks the first time the deepening has won coveted funding in the president’s budget. Presidential budgets are more selective in what projects get funding than the budgets eventually approved by Congress.

JaxPort CEO Eric Green says Trump’s inclusion of Jacksonville’s deepening project in his budget “speaks volumes about the significance of this project to the Southeast U.S. and the nation.”

In the past, JaxPort has worked with its congressional allies to get money for the deepening inserted in the budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When money for port projects make it into the president’s budget, it’s a virtual guarantee the money will go through.

SSA Jacksonville is expanding its container terminal at the Blount Island terminal east of the Dames Point bridge. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $20 million grant to help pay for improvement that will enable SSA Jacksonville to handle more cargo containers coming through Jacksonville.

When the deepening is finished, the terminal will be have a turning basin for ships calling on Blount Island, which will be able to simultaneously dock two of the big ocean-crossing cargo ships that hook Jacksonville into Asian trade lanes.

The federal government authorized deepening the St. Johns River on a 13-mile stretch from the ocean all the way to the Dames Point terminal on the west side of the Dames Point bridge.

But the $484 million funding model being used by JaxPort covers 11 miles to the Blount Island terminal.

The dredging started in February 2018 and the Army Corps of Engineers is slated to finish deepening the first 5.5 miles of the project in the spring.

The rest of the 11-mile deepening could finish in 2023, JaxPort says.

JaxPort officials have said the deeper water is needed to compete with other Southeast ports for the fast-growing Asian container trade business.

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