Philly Port Strategic Plan Unveiled

Governor Tom Wolf has announced his strategic plan for sustained management, maintenance and development of the Port of Philadelphia.

The governor outlined his plan while standing on an undeveloped parcel of the Southport Marine Terminal Complex, located at the eastern tip of the Navy Yard.

He was joined by Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) Chairman Jerry Sweeney, Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack, Senator Larry Farnese, Representative Bill Keller, and dozens of marine stakeholders.

Governor Wolf said that the Southport Terminal development project is one of his main goals for the Port of Philadelphia.

The 196-acre riverfront property is owned by PRPA, located immediately west of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. It remains idle and undeveloped, but is currently undergoing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), with a Request for Proposals (RFP) process expected to begin in 2016.

The goal is to enable the market-driven development of Southport Terminal in 2017, creating up to 3,700 new jobs.

Governor Wolf will also create an advisory committee of stakeholders to provide input on the future of the port. It will include stakeholders from industry, labor, local and state government to drive a unified vision for the port.

The Port Strategic Plan is being developed in a phased approach:

• Phase 1 is to assess existing conditions, and it is underway;
• Phase 2 is expected to begin sometime this winter, and includes setting a vision and direction;
• Next spring and summer, phase 3 will begin. This will include developing capital investment strategies.

The Delaware River dredging project is almost done making the river deeper and able to welcome in bigger ships and more business.

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