Philly Lawmaker: Prepare Now To Expand Port Capacity

By Tony Romeo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A state lawmaker from Philadelphia says the region and state need to start preparing now for a massive influx of cargo to east coast ports in the coming years.

For several reasons, including the fact that improvements to the Panama Canal will allow bigger ships to steam directly to the east coast, Philadelphia Democrat Bill Keller warned at House budget hearings that the port of Philadelphia needs to prepare now to be able to handle its share of the bounty.

"We could grow, realistically, from 500,000 containers to 3, 3.5 million containers. That's creating thousands and thousands of new jobs," said Keller.

Leslie Richards, Governor Wolf's choice to run PennDOT, said the state's ports are one of the administration's top priorities.

"From my very early discussions with him one on one, the ports have always come up into our conversation," said Richards.

Richards says the transportation funding bill enacted in 2013 generates more funds for state ports. She says the administration is particularly interested in the interconnection of the ports.