San Juan Harbor Navigation Project Moves Forward

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District, Col. Andrew Kelly and the executive director for Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), Anthony O. Maceira Zayas signed a partnership agreement on May 24 to move forward to the design phase of the San Juan Harbor Navigation Improvements project.

The $54 million project will improve the harbor by deepening and widening the channels, to accommodate existing and future vessel movement, resolve navigation restriction problems, and present opportunities for economic development.

The design agreement will allow the district to begin the preconstruction, engineering and design phase of the project. The first construction contract is expected to be awarded in fiscal year 2021, subject to availability of funds. Federal funds for the design phase were provided in the 2019 Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, known as P.L. 115-244.

The costs for the project are shared between the Corps, $40 million and PRPA, $14 million, per Section 105 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986.

For more information about the San Juan Harbor Navigation Improvements project, visit http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/San-Juan-Harbor.