Broward County (Fla.) Board of County Commissioners has approved a $437.5 million expansion of Port Everglades, located near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the biggest expansion in the port’s history.
The Southport turning Notch Expansion will include new berths to accommodate larger cargo ships, rails that can handle post-Panamax cranes and a near tripling of deepwater turnaround space from approximately 900 feet to 2,400 feet. The project also includes the replacement of 8.7 acres of an existing mangrove conservation easement with a 16.5-acre upland enhancement of approximately 70,000 new mangroves and wetland plants — a project element that already has been completed — as well as completion of a number of environmental improvements in West Lake Park.
A joint venture between Moss & Associates and Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. will serve as general contractor for the project.
Port Everglades is Florida’s leading container port, handling more than 1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry standard measurement for container volumes) and serving as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.
Other ports across the United States are also expanding to support the new larger cargo ships, including the Bayonne Bridge in New Jersey, which is currently under way with a $1.6 billion renovation project. The entire Bayonne Bridge renovation is scheduled for completion in 2019.