Port of Miami Deep Dredge Project
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The PortMiami Deep Dredge Project was a project that expanded
PortMiami The Port of Miami, styled as "PortMiami" but formally the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is a major seaport located in Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River in Miami, Florida. It is the largest passenger port in the world, and one of the ...
by dredging the bay to allow new, larger cargo ships to enter the port. The project was related to the "
New Panamax Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
" project that was completed in 2016 that involved a major expansion of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
. The port, which was 42 feet deep, was dredged to 50 feet in depth to allow the new Super Post Panamax megaships to enter. This project also coincided with the
Port Miami Tunnel The Port of Miami Tunnel (also State Road 887) is a bored, undersea tunnel in Miami, Florida. It consists of two parallel tunnels (one in each direction) that travel beneath Biscayne Bay, connecting the MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island wi ...
project, which was completed in 2014, that allows trucks to bypass Downtown Miami, resulting in twice the traffic capacity to the port. The ports of
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,
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, and
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have already undergone these projects. The Deep Dredge, along with port facility improvements such as the addition of two new large
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s, made PortMiami capable of berthing even the next largest container vessels in the world, the
Maersk Triple E Class The Triple E class is a family of very large container ships with a capacity of more than 18,000 TEUs, which are owned and operated by Maersk Line. With a length of , when they were built they were the largest container ships in the world, but ...
, which has a draught of and is nearly wide, and was completed in 2015.


Overview

PortMiami is the closest US port to the Panama Canal, making it the most desired port for the new ships using the Panama Canal. Other ports competing for government funding in similar projects include
Port Everglades Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2019, Port Eve ...
in Fort Lauderdale, and ports in Tampa, Jacksonville, Savannah and Charleston. Aside from Miami being the only southeastern port that had given a nominal price for the project (180 million), the distance dredged was less than that of other ports, at 2.5 miles. As of December 2010, the port had already secured $17.5 million from the state and $120 million from the county for the project, which has been authorized by Congress. One notable issue is opposition to the use of state and federal earmarks, which the port had been seeking to use to get the funding. GOP leaders in Congress are attempting to ban earmarks; the amount of this federal money Bill Johnson is seeking to fund the Deep Dredge is 75 million. In Dec. 2010 then Governor elect
Rick Scott Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers, born December 1, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019. Scott ...
, promised to reignite the state's economy and spur job growth, visited the port to learn about the project, but did not take a side. He said that "It appears to make all the sense in the world" but also said "I don't support any earmarks,". If Miami does not get the funding and the dredging is not done by 2014, South Florida may lose trade traffic to nearby ports such as
Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Places United States *Freeport, California *Freeport, Florida *Freeport, Illinois *Freeport, Indiana *Freeport, Iowa *Freeport, Kansas *Freeport, Maine, a New England town **Freeport (CDP), Maine, the ...
, a foreign port in the
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, which is already 50 feet. Four ports in Florida are being considered for expansion, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. With the correct funding, PortMiami estimated that it would be capable of completing such a project by 2014, estimating that it will take 18 months to complete. It is also estimated that this project could double Miami's cargo business in the next 10 years as well as creating over 30,000 permanent jobs for Miami, which currently has a very high unemployment rate. In 2010 the port supported 176,000 jobs and $17 billion annually. This project had been advocated greatly by PortMiami Director Bill Johnson as well as Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, and Miami-Dade
Mayor Carlos Alvarez In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
, as well as other elected officials. It is also supported by local media. The
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argued that the funding necessary to complete the project is only a small fraction of the $3 billion in federal aid rejected by New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...
to improve rail infrastructure between New York City and New Jersey.


History

In March 2011, governor Rick Scott amended the $77 million loan needed to go ahead with the project. The funds were not included in the
Obama Administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
's new budget, they were instead taken out of a $7 billion Florida transportation fund. Rick Scott announced this at the same time he declined a $2.4 billion grant to fund the proposed
Florida High Speed Rail The Florida High-Speed Corridor is a canceled high-speed rail project in the U.S. state of Florida. Initial service would have run between the cities of Tampa and Orlando, with plans to then extend service to South Florida, terminating in Miami. ...
system. In 2011, Obama cut the $75 million of funding that was supposed to pay for half the cost of the two mile dredging. Rick Scott flew to Panama in 2011 to witness the Panama Canal expansion. The completion date was July, 2015.


See also

*
Port Miami Tunnel The Port of Miami Tunnel (also State Road 887) is a bored, undersea tunnel in Miami, Florida. It consists of two parallel tunnels (one in each direction) that travel beneath Biscayne Bay, connecting the MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island wi ...
*
New Panamax Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
*
Rick Scott Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers, born December 1, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019. Scott ...


References

{{Reflist, 30em Port of Miami