From an Associated Press report on 680 News:
Delays on a project to raise a bridge in New Jersey could lead to other East Coast ports losing out on larger cargo vessels that are expected to begin passing through an expanded Panama Canal next spring.
The $1.3 billion Bayonne Bridge elevation is aimed at accommodating the bigger vessels and their larger cargo capacity. It initially was to be completed in 2016. But this month the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it wouldn’t be done until late 2017 because of construction delays.
The Port Authority said in an emailed statement this week to The Associated Press that it has discussed the issue with carriers and terminal operators and that other East Coast ports will receive larger ships only after the bridge is raised.
At least one major container ship carrier appears to corroborate the claim. But it was news to officials at the ports of Baltimore and Virginia, the two East Coast ports that are expecting to receive the larger ships next year.