Lawmakers hear plan to expand Port of Providence
5:02 PM Fri, Mar 27, 2009 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- On a tour of the city waterfront this morning, city and port officials shared with state lawmakers their vision to expand and modernize ProvPort, one of two deepwater terminals in New England. The nearly $30 million plan calls for the redevelopment of the former city landfill along the Narragansett Bay, the extension of existing Providence-Worcester railways lines, and the purchase of two specialized cranes to handle shipping containers. If completed, the port improvements would boost the Allens Avenue terminal's capacity by 30 percent, allowing for more cargo to come through the port annually and more job opportunities for local blue collar workers. "Ships don't want to wait for weeks and weeks to come into port," said Bruce Waterson, who as president of Waterson Terminal Services, handles the day-to-day operations at the port. "We need to be able to get materials off the ships, move [ships] out and get the materials on rails.... If we can move more volume, we can create more jobs." According to Waterson, the port provides 1,000 direct jobs for Rhode Islanders, 1,500 indirect jobs through services related to the port industries, and more than $200 million in economic activity. "We are an economic engine for the state and the city," he said. The state legislators in attendance were part of a joint House and Senate commission examining the potential of economic development and job creation at Rhode Island's ports. The tour was the group's first official field trip. "Only a minority of our colleagues realize what's going on down here," said House Majority Whip Peter F. Kilmartin, D-Pawtucket, who is co-chairs the commission. "We're looking for economic opportunities for the state and what we saw here is extremely impressive. It's a big infrastructure and it looks like there are good jobs." The commission will visit the ports of Quonset, Galilee and Newport in the coming months and is expected to release a preliminary report by September. Located at the convergence of the Providence River and Narragansett Bay, the 105-acre port was formerly owned by the City of Providence. Since 1994 it has been operated by a private nonprofit, ProvPort Inc., under a long term lease. The port includes six deepwater berths -- at least 40 feet deep -- and two warehouses totaling 250,000 square feet. The 3.1 tons of cargo that came through the port in 2008 consist largely of bulk materials, such as coal, cement, and road salt. 
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