A plan to deepen and widen Port Everglades won a key federal approval Friday, clearing the way for the port to seek Congressional funding for a project that would generate thousands of jobs and maintain the region's leading position in international trade.

The Army Corps of Engineers approved the plan to deepen the port's main channels from 42 to 48 feet, as well as deepen and widen part of the Intracoastal Waterway, to accommodate the larger cargo ships that now navigate the world's trade routes.

"After almost two decades of study and research, we are confident that the Corps has developed a plan that keeps Port Everglades competitive globally so that jobs are sustained and created locally," said Broward County Mayor Tim Ryan. "The plan also uses innovative solutions to address valid environmental concerns that have been raised by environmental stakeholders."

The project is expected to generate 4,700 construction jobs and nearly 1,500 permanent jobs, according to the port. The estimated cost of $374 million would be paid by Port Everglades user fees, federal money and state funding, with no local property taxes used for the work.

Although the project still needs to obtain funding from Congress, Port Director Steven Cernak said the port will move forward immediately on design work, using its own funds. He said design will take up to two years and construction another three years, although the job could well take significantly longer than five years.

The port's primary business remains north-south, he said, with imports and exports involving the Caribbean, South America and Central America. Although there's talk of how the port expansion could increase trade with Asia and business through the expanded Panama Canal, Cernak said the immediate reason for the expansion is to better serve existing markets.

Larger ships are already calling on the port, he said, but with light loads because of the physical limitations of the port's main channels. When the expansion is done, he said these ships could come in fully loaded.

The project has been a priority for the region's Congressional delegation and several issued statements Friday in response to the news.

"Port Everglades is a giant economic engine for South Florida," said U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel. "The port must modernize and expand or the new current day cargo ships will pass us by - taking with them thousands of new jobs and over $30 million of economic impact each year.''

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said, "This will allow the port to accommodate the bigger ships that will be coming through the expanded Panama Canal. And that means jobs and economic growth for the area. That said, we need to continue to be vigilant in addressing the environmental concerns and do so, in part, by applying the lessons we learned from PortMiami."

The project has been environmentally controversial because it would involve the destruction of nearly 15 acres of coral reef running along the port's entrance channel. Cernak said compensating for the destruction will be a major element of the coming design work.

Environmentalists say the plan underestimates the potential harm, pointing to a similar project at the Port of Miami that they say caused more damage than expected. In a Feb. 25 letter to the Corps, seven environmental groups called for the Corps to conduct a more detailed analysis before approving the work.

Plans call for planting 103,000 nursery-raised corals on 18 acres of reef, transplanting 11,500 existing corals from the path of the work to create two acres of artificial reef and creating three new acres of artificial reef.

"The natural underwater environment is a priority for Port Everglades," Cernak said. "It is critical to the port that the mitigation plan include progressive approaches coupled with those that have a proven track record for replenishing and enhancing sensitive reef habitat."