What they are saying: Completion of Jacksonville’s Harbor Deepening Project through Blount Island
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- What they are saying: Completion of Jacksonville’s Harbor Deepening Project through Blount Island
Here’s what government, industry, and local leaders are saying about the completion of the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project through JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. The project deepened 11 miles of the federal shipping channel to 47 feet from its previous depth of 40 feet.
The deeper channel allows larger container ships to call Blount Island to and from destinations worldwide and allows existing ships calling Jacksonville to carry more cargo on board.
"Jacksonville's economy and livelihood has always centered around the St. Johns River. JAXPORT has been a crucial driver of economic growth and investments in our city. The completion of this leg of a decades-in-the-making Harbor Deepening Project has required the collaboration and effort of public, private, and nonprofit spheres."
“It’s going to bring all sorts of jobs to Jacksonville. The enhanced ships that will be coming in because of this and the jobs that will be produced is a real legacy.”
“Congratulations, JAXPORT, for completing the 47 feet! It’s an amazing accomplishment. Thanks to Eric Green and the JAXPORT Board, staff, and partners—including FDOT Secretary Perdue—for executing on the vision. Huge economic impact for the city.”
“We’d like to congratulate JAXPORT, SSA, and the federal, state, and local partners who have been part of this for almost two decades. It’s a really big day for Jacksonville in terms of safety, security, and environmental protection, but also the economic prosperity in this region.”
“I’m so proud of JAXPORT under the leadership of Eric Green to see this finally come to fruition. It’s been a long time coming and it’s going to so benefit this community and the nation.”
"We're proud to be JAXPORT’s partner in further providing supply chain security. Together, we are connecting commerce."
“Today’s a culmination of a lot of hard work and not to be shortsighted - the vision that our leadership had 10, 12, 15 years ago to know that we need this deep water at this point in time. Projects like this take a long time and that vision is key to our success.”
“The completion of the JAXPORT Harbor Deepening project through Blount Island is a testament to the commitment from our federal, state, and local partners in keeping Florida’s blue economy competitive with other states, all while advancing, expanding, and strengthening the economic resilience of the Northeast Florida market for decades to come.”
“This is truly a monumental and great day for us. We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. We want to thank the people who spoke up for this project. We received federal, state, and local support, and it’s something that everyone who contributed can really be proud of.”
"This project and the investments made in parallel are critical to the future of our port and the economic vitality of our region. As we offer our thanks to all those involved, let's remember - this is not an investment in a thing - our port - it is an investment in each of us, and our children who will follow in our footsteps pursuing a career on the waterfront.”
