Federal, state and local officials joined local business leaders on February 18 to welcome the news that Broward County’s Port Everglades Navigation Improvements Project to deepen and widen the navigational channels of the port can now begin with US$29.1 million in funding under the United States Army Corps of Engineers FY 2020 Work Plan.
This funding will be used to build a brand new facility for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Station Fort Lauderdale so the Intracoastal Waterway could be widened by 250 feet at the chokepoint where Neo-Panamax cargo vessels have operating restrictions that affect the ability to transit past docked cruise liners. The CG Station reconfiguration is the first phase of the dredging project.
The Port’s Navigation Improvements Project is expected to create 2,200 construction jobs and about 1,500 additional permanent direct jobs resulting from additional cargo capacity.
The CG station reconfiguration is scheduled to be completed by November 2023 at a cost of approximately US$39 million, with US$29.1 million paid with federal funds and the balance paid via port revenue and state grant funds.