The US Army Corps of Engineers has granted $46 million for the Jacksonville Harbor deep draft navigation project. This will be additional to the $50 million in federal funding awarded to JAXPORT for the project over the past two fiscal years.
Congressman Rutherford has ensured that JAXPORT keeps on receiving federal support for this deep dredge project. The deepening project already attributes 3 miles on schedule dredging and when it’s completed it will be able to accommodate mega-sized container vessels in its port. As a result, the deepening is expected to contribute to economic rise and create jobs in Northeast Florida.
As far as the job opportunity is concerned, the 47-foot deepening project is aspired to create 15.000 jobs with an approximately $24 return for every $1.00 invested.
Moreover, JAXPORT is a major economic engine and successful port of entry for commerce and trade on the Eastern Seaboard. It also supports $26.9 billion in total economic output, 132,000 jobs, and $727 million in state and local taxes, of which $169 million is directly generated by cargo operations.
Finally, according to Congressman Rutherford, JAXPORT was recently announced the largest port by container volume in the state of Florida. The port is characterised as a driver of regional economic activity and a strategically important national security infrastructure asset. That is why, Florida aspires to keep on building upon this tremendous growth by enhancing the international competitiveness of JAXPORT.
Continued federal investment in the deep dredge project marks a significant step toward furthering JAXPORT’s substantial contributions to Northeast Florida and to our nation.
..Congressman Rutherford noted.
