JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Port Authority received a $35 million refund Monday in unused payments from its harbor deepening project.
The project began in February 2018 and was anticipated to be completed in 2023, but construction wrapped up ahead of schedule and under budget in 2022.
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The refund was distributed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Crews worked to deepen the shipping channel from 40 to 47 feet from the mouth of the St. Johns River to JaxPort’s Blount Island Marine Terminal, which will allow larger container ships to use the port.
The multi-year effort, spanning 11 miles, cost more than $400 million in total.
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JaxPort officials said it plans to work with the city of Jacksonville and the state of Florida to determine how the unused money will be distributed.
Aruba’s Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes also visited Jacksonville to announce a new partnership with JaxPort. The port will work with the island to help it recover from the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic and explore potential new business ties.
Roughly $330 million in goods are traded each year between Florida and Aruba.