WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, commonly known as PhilaPort, and also referred to as The Port of Philadelphia, is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of port facilities along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, as well as strategic planning throughout the port district, and is a major bulwark of the economy of Southeastern Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In November of 2016, Governor Tom Wolf announced that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania would invest $300 million into port infrastructure through 2020 as part of a comprehensive Capital Investment Program designed to more than double container capacity, ultimately creating several thousand jobs and millions of dollars in additional economic activity and tax revenues. The project is set to establish PhilaPort as a leading multi-product, full-service Port; and
WHEREAS, PhilaPort handled 667,069 metric tons of cargo in August, its highest-ever monthly total, while also breaking new monthly records for containers and forest products. Indeed, PhilaPort has been a leader in growth rates among ports in the Northeast in recent years; and
WHEREAS, In June, PhilaPort purchased a 29-acre parcel of land, located at Third Street and Pattison Avenue, in order to increase its warehousing capacity and capability, bringing its total land ownership to 1,016 acres; and
WHEREAS, Also in June, Pier 122 saw its first vessel call the pier in 20 years. Pier 122 is the Port’s second berth for the import and export of automobiles and roll-on roll-off cargo and represents a vital step in increasing economic competitiveness and port capacity; and
WHEREAS, The deepening of the Delaware’s main channel from 40 feet to 45 feet, a $392 million, seven-year project led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to be completed in December. The deepening project is designed to let Philadelphia take advantage of bigger vessels, dubbed "Neo-Panamax" ships, coming through the Panama Canal; and
WHEREAS, We on this Council recognize PhilaPort as a vital piece of transportation infrastructure and a driver of growth and prosperity in Philadelphia; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY VIRTUE OF THIS CITATION, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings on the PhilaPort Capital Investment Program and future development of the port.
End