Infrastructure: Jacksonville, Metro Vancouver

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Federal, state and local leaders on June 17 joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) leadership along the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville to mark the start of the pre-construction, engineering and design phase of the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project. The Canadian federal government would contribute C$3million to a project aimed at reducing trucker wait times by using new technologies to better link operations across Port Metro Vancouver's four terminals.

Design of Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project Begins

Federal, state and local leaders on June 17 joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) leadership along the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville to mark the start of the pre-construction, engineering and design (PED) phase of the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project.

Among other things, the project will deepen the existing 40-foot mean lower low water (MLLW) channel depth of the St. John's River to 47 feet MLLW from the entrance channel to approximately River Mile 13.

The initial engineering and design work is expected to take 18 months. Deepening construction could begin as early as 2016.

"During the course of the next year and a half, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will design a project with both the economics and the environment as dual priorities," said JAXPORT Board of Directors Chairman Joe York. "Our attention as a region must turn to ensuring that this project is funded and stays on track so we can return every bit of benefit back to our citizens as soon as possible."

On June 10, President Barack Obama signed legislation authorizing the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project, saying this project and others like it would strengthen national infrastructure and put more Americans to work.

Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown also proclaimed June 17, 2014, as "Harbor Deepening Launch Day."

"This is a historic day," said Mayor Brown. "The harbor deepening project will modernize and expand our port to strengthen our competitive position in the global economy. As chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Ports and Exports, I know that international trade and ports will play an ever-larger role in the American economy."

Canadian Government Funding to Improve Trucking Efficiency at Port Metro Vancouver

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced June 12 that the Canadian federal government would contribute C$3 million to a project aimed at reducing trucker wait times by using new technologies to better link operations across Port Metro Vancouver's four terminals.

The Common Data Interface (CDI) project will help to better coordinate and schedule container truck movements by providing the technological capabilities to:

• Collect data on gate and terminal activities, which will help to coordinate multi-shift operations, especially necessary now given the recently announced extended hours pilot.
• Develop an enhanced common reservation system (i.e. a centralized appointment scheduler for container trucks), which will reduce wait times and enhance efficiency of truck movements.
• Measure operational performance and enforcement through the collection of location data (via GPS technology), which will help the port develop and enforce appropriate standards.

The project, which costs approximately C$6million, will receive C$3 million over two years under TransportCanada’s Clean Transportation Initiative on Port-Related Trucking, with the balance to be covered by the port authority.

The implementation of the CDI project was a commitment under the Joint Action Plan with the Province of British Columbia, the port and other partners, developed to bring stability to the container trucking industry at Port Metro Vancouver.