Here is a news release from the White House on the local port projects that will be sped up:

WASHINGTON - Today, as part of his We Can't Wait initiative, President Obama announced that 7 nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects will be expedited to help modernize and expand 5 major ports in the United States, including the Port of Jacksonville.

As part of a Presidential Executive Order issued in March of this year, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with overseeing a government-wide effort to make the permitting and review process for infrastructure projects more efficient and effective, saving time while driving better outcomes for local communities. The first 7 of the initial 43 projects that will be expedited by the Executive Order are located at five ports - the Port of Jacksonville, the Port of Miami, the Port of Savannah, the Port of New York and New Jersey, and the Port of Charleston. Additional expedited infrastructure projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Obama Administration is also announcing the establishment of a White House-led Navigation Task Force that will consist of senior officials from various White House offices, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Departments of Transportation, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Treasury. The Task Force will develop a Federal strategy and coordinated decision making principles that focus on the economic return of investments into coastal ports and related infrastructure to support the movement of commerce throughout the Nation.

Port of Jacksonville

One of the critical steps in modernizing and expanding the Port of Jacksonville is to finalize the federal feasibility study examining the costs and benefits of deepening the harbor. Nationally, feasibility studies take an average of 10 years and the expedited process announced today will shave 7 years off of that timeline, committing the federal government to finalize the study by April of 2013, years ahead of previous projections. Today, the Administration also announced that it will commit to completing all permits for the Jacksonville Port Intermodal Container Facility by July of 2013.

Jacksonville Harbor
Coordinating Agency: US Army Corps of Engineers
Target date for completing all Federal permit and review decisions: April 2013
The Army Corps is completing a feasibility study to examine the benefits and costs of deepening the Federal navigation channel at the port from its existing authorized project depth of 40 feet up to maximum project depth of 50 feet to accommodate larger cargo vessels and other ships. The Army Corps is applying its modernized planning process for potential long-term infrastructure investments to this ongoing study, and expects to complete its recommendations for improvements several years earlier than originally anticipated. The Port of Jacksonville plans to construct a new Intermodal Container Facility concurrently with the navigation improvements that will vastly improve the efficient movement of goods.

Jacksonville Intermodal Container Facility
Coordinating Agency: US Department of Transportation
Target date for completing all Federal permit and review decisions: July 2013
A new Intermodal Container Facility (ICTF) at the Port of Jacksonville will increase the capacity of the port to handle containers that arrive or depart by rail, and thereby will reduce truck traffic on local and regional roads. The ICTF will include a five-track rail yard, two wide-span electric cranes, and a paved area for stacking containers and several support uses, including a road a gate for truck movement of cargo, a parking area, and storm water retention facilities. The facility will also use zero-emission, wide-span electric cranes for all lift operations. This $45 million project is being financed through a public-private partnership, including US Department of Transportation TIGER grant funding of $10 million serving as an example of the expanded outreach and coordination by DOT to help non-traditional grantees navigate the environmental review process, from start to finish, in an efficient manner to meet the aggressive timelines associated with an innovative funding program. This port-side investment compliments the ongoing work by the Corps of Engineers helping maintain and increase the economic competitiveness of the port as expansion of the Panama Canal commences in the coming years.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2012

Obama Administration Announces Port of Miami Project to Be Expedited

WASHINGTON - Today, as part of his We Can't Wait initiative, President Obama announced that 7 nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects will be expedited to help modernize and expand 5 major ports in the United States, including the Port of Miami. The Administration today committed to completing all federal reviews for the Port of Miami by August of 2012, and expects to complete the deepening of the channel this year.

As part of a Presidential Executive Order issued in March of this year, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with overseeing a government-wide effort to make the permitting and review process for infrastructure projects more efficient and effective, saving time while driving better outcomes for local communities. The first 7 of the initial 43 projects that will be expedited by the Executive Order are located at five ports - the Port of Jacksonville, the Port of Miami, the Port of Savannah, the Port of New York and New Jersey, and the Port of Charleston. Additional expedited infrastructure projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Obama Administration is also announcing the establishment of a White House-led Navigation Task Force that will consist of senior officials from various White House offices, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Departments of Transportation, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Treasury. The Task Force will develop a Federal strategy and coordinated decision making principles that focus on the economic return of investments into coastal ports and related infrastructure to support the movement of commerce throughout the Nation.

Port of Miami

Miami Harbor
Coordinating Agency: US Army Corps of Engineers
Target date for completion of all Federal permit and review decisions: August 2012
The Army Corps is working with the Port of Miami to construct an authorized project that involves deepening the Federal navigation at the port from its current depth of 42 feet to a depth of 50 feet. The project would enable the port to accommodate larger cargo vessels and other ships, ultimately facilitating a more efficient movement of goods. Through a progressive partnership with the State of Florida, which has provided all of the funds needed to construct this project, the time frame for its construction has been advanced by years. The Corps expects to complete the deepening of the Federal navigation channel by late 2012. Related infrastructure improvements include landside investments funded in part by the Department of Transportation.