Port of Gulfport expansion begins

The Port of Gulfport will begin work Thursday on what will be a multimillion expansion that will increase its capacity to handle more and bigger ships. The port plans to fill 20 acres on the West Pier with $22.5 million in federal funds provided for Hurricane Katrina relief. The project will kick off at 2 p.m. Thursday with a ground-breaking ceremony on the West Pier.

Gov. Haley Barbour has set aside $570 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to elevate the port to 25 feet above sea level.

The project has drawn criticism and a lawsuit from the NAACP and others, who have asked a federal judge to overturn the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department's approval of the expenditure.

 

Source: Port News