The Transportation Commission during their December 15 hearing, accepted the annual 2011-2012 Port Capital Program submitted by the Port Authority Advisory Committee. Nearly one out of five vessels over 10,000 dead weight tons calling on United States ports are served by Texas ports. 16 ports provided port profiles for the FY 2011/FY 2012 period. These ports submitted 81 projects, a small part of their capital activities. State funding requirements for all of these projects at a maximum cost share level of 50 percent from the Port Access Account Fund would necessitate legislative appropriations of $336,324,100. The committee included every eligible project submitted by the ports in the report and did not prioritize any of the projects.
The projects range from improving intermodal connections to security enhancements. The committee met on November 3, 2010 and formally adopted the 2011-2012 Port Capital Program and submitted the program to the department. The program identified more than $672 million in desired port improvements requiring over $336 million from the Port Access Account Fund if funded at the state’s maximum cost share amount. To date, the Port Access Account Fund has not been capitalized by the Texas Legislature.
While Texas ports submitted 81 projects for inclusion in the report, it is important to note that this is not a comprehensive listing of all the ports’ capital needs. More information on the plan can be found by visiting: http://www.txdot.gov/about_us/commission/2010_meetings/documents/minute_orders/dec16/8.pdf