After almost 20 years of reviewing the project and its environmental impact the Army Corps of Engineers has approved a dredging plan to make Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale deeper and wider to accommodate larger cargo ships. The new dredging would deepen its main channels from 44 to 48 feet along with widening a stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway. The project would cost $374 million and would create an estimated 4,700 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs. With the expansion of the Panama Canal making Port Everglades more accessible to larger ships, it would become a more competitive export destination for Asian companies. The project still needs to receive congressional funding, but Port Everglades says it will start the process with its own funds.
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said, “This will allow the port to accommodate the bigger ships that will be coming through the expanded Panama Canal. And that will mean jobs and economic growth for the area. That said, we need to continue to be vigilant in applying the lessons we learned from PortMiami,” which is dredging its main harbor channel from 42 to 50-52 feet.
