Plans to build North Carolina’s biggest shipping port have reached a crucial point as Gov. Bev Perdue’s administration nears a decision on whether to commit state money to help pay for the project near Southport.
Without state support, the study can’t go forward and the $3 billion port proposal is dead. But it’s increasingly likely the project will advance to the study phase, with public hearings and heated debate. Four years ago, the N.C. State Ports Authority paid $30 million for 620 acres of land with 4,000 feet of waterfront access. Their plan: to build a modern deep-water port there to accommodate a new generation of superships that are expected to dominate shipping after the widened Panama Canal opens in 2014.