By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTWith expansion of the Panama Canal on target for completion in 2014, it is not surprising that projects planned or under way at a number of Florida Atlantic Coast ports are being eyed for readiness in the next four to five years. Looking individually at Florida’s East Coast ports, beginning in Miami and moving northward toward the Georgia line: Miami River Private terminal operators along the Miami River have been busy moving relief goods to Haiti since the devastating earthquake rocked that Caribbean island Jan. 12. Facilities along the river, which last year saw completion of dredging to its original controlled depth of between 15 feet and 17 feet, serve shallow-water markets throughout the Caribbean. The past year has seen three new terminal operators establishing services, joining the river’s longtime leading carrier, Antillean Marine Shipping Corp., and others. The new operations include Santé Shipping Lines Inc., led by Charles Towsley, former director of the Port of Miami and the Tampa Port Authority, and port architect Bruno Ramos, offering Haiti service; Guerda Terminal, serving Haiti; and Sea Ocean International, with service to Jamaica. Port of Miami Officials at the Port of Miami-Dade County are optimistic that the $1 billion project to provide a tunnel to link the 518-acre island port to the mainland limited-access highway network is moving forward. The project reached financial close in late 2009. The environmental process is complete, and the general tunnel location and alignment have been identified. Upon execution of a concession agreement, a 55-month construction schedule is slated to begin in early 2010, meaning the tunnel could be in operation by 2014.
The tunnel is being developed by the Florida Department of Transportation in partnership with Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami and other stakeholders. It aims to alleviate congestion on downtown Miami streets, which clog with traffic that traverses the port bridge. According to port officials, current truck and bus routes restrict the port’s ability to grow, drive up costs for port users, present safety hazards, and congest and limit redevelopment of the northern portion of Miami’s central business district. Port Everglades At Broward County’s Port Everglades – where the greatest enthusiasm is being generated in connection with completion of a 240,000-square-foot cruise terminal for handling the world’s largest pleasure vessels – a new bridge is being built over a canal to connect Midport docks with the Southport area of the port. Currently, containerized cargo moving between the two areas must use a roadway that requires trucks to leave and re-enter the port’s secure zone. The bridge is slated for completion by summer, while construction of a new, 41-acre container yard at Southport is on target for spring completion. Cargo-related projects in Port Everglades’ five-year master plan that have not yet begun include additional roadway work, an intermodal container transfer facility for Southport and a Southport aggregate facility. Also, the port is initiating a competitive selection process for a land lease for an out-of-service liquid bulk terminal facility, with an eye toward more than $50 million in private construction of new petroleum tanks. Port officials are hoping the feasibility study for channel deepening will be completed by 2012. Port of Palm Beach Officials at the Port of Palm Beach are hopeful that the first phase of an inland intermodal logistics center will be operational by 2014 or 2015. In late December, port commissioners chose a 3,500-acre site of sugar cane producer Florida Crystals Corp. for the center. The site, in Okeelanta, about 40 miles west of the port, is to include 3,000 acres for warehousing and distribution facilities and 500 acres for an inland port, with future rai