Puerto Rico begins project to expand San Juan port

The government of Puerto Rico has begun a project to dredge, deepen and widen the navigation channels of San Juan Port and refurbish its facilities, an initiative that has been on hold for several years.

Governor Pedro Pierluisi stated on his Twitter account on Monday that the project is getting off the ground thanks to an agreement between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Puerto Rico port authority APPR.

“The recommended plan includes widening and deepening the port's inland channels leading to the marine cargo operator and cruise terminals," USACE Colonel James L. Booth was reported as saying by newspaper Metro.

According to the newspaper, a construction contract will be published in March, awarded in May 2023, and works will begin in June, lasting 14 months.

“We have been pushing this project forward since I was in Congress. It will have a positive impact on economic development, expanding the navigation channels, which will improve the efficiency in entrance and exit of larger ships with more capacity for freight and passengers,” Pierluisi said on Twitter.

The capex of the project is estimated at US$58.7mn. Some US$14mn will come from funds allocated by the APPR and the rest from the US bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL).