JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The estimated cost to raise the powerlines near the Jacksonville Port Authority (JaxPort) has more than doubled, according to a new analysis.
The projected cost went from around $45 million to over $105 million.
“The project to raise JEA power lines over the St. Johns River is crucial for JaxPort,” Karen McAllister, the JEA spokesperson said.
The lines are located east of the Blount Island Marine Terminal.
Currently, they’re 175 feet above the water.
News4JAX has reported in the past the Army Corps of Engineers said they need to be at least 20 feet higher for larger ships to pass through.
News4JAX spoke with the Chief Communications Officer for JaxPort who said increasing the lines will allow for more vessels that require higher clearance to use Jacksonville’s deep water shipping channel, and attract more jobs and economic impact to the area.
McAllister said the reason for the cost increase is because the Worley report was a feasibility study conducted to determine whether the work could be done. The alternatives analysis provides a cost analysis of alternative construction approaches and includes different options that range from about $105 million to $190 million.
McAllister said JEA is going with Option 5 dubbed the “Westernmost”.
This approach would be to construct all the lines to the west of the existing lines allowing for helicopter construction and limiting access requirements.
Last year the city approved a bill committing $27 million to raising power lines, which includes a loan to JaxPort. The Florida Department of Transportation also committed $22 million to the project.
With the increased price, News4JAX wanted to know who would now be paying for it.
“Well as I said JEA wants to be part of the solution as we continue to provide reliable service to Northeast Florida,” McAllister said. “So as I was telling you before that’s the main thing I can tell you about our participation. We are still working out a lot of the details.”
McAllister couldn’t speak more on the question but said the project is crucial for economic growth.
JaxPort also sent a statement to News4JAX after we spoke with them over the phone earlier in the day:
“Raising the power lines is essential to maximizing the return on investment of more than $700 million of public and private sector investments that have been made in recent years to grow Jacksonville’s international container shipping capabilities, including the recently completed harbor deepening project.
The trend in international trade is for ocean carriers to build bigger, increasingly taller ships that require higher clearance. Increasing the air draft will allow more of these vessels to utilize Jacksonville’s deepwater shipping channel, attracting more jobs and economic impact to Jacksonville. Together, harbor deepening and raising the power lines create or protect 15,000 jobs supported by the growth of Asian trade at JAXPORT.
JAXPORT is currently working with JEA to develop a plan to cover the project’s updated cost.”
News4JAX sent a follow-up question after receiving that statement asking how long they think it will take to develop the plan, and we are still waiting to hear back.
We also reached out to the city. They sent a statement:
“The City of Jacksonville remains committed to ensuring that JAXPORT has the infrastructure in place to continue growing and remain an important contributor to Jacksonville’s economy. We are aware that JEA and JAXPORT are discussing a path forward, and we await the results of those discussions.”