Governors To Meet On Port Issues

Also attending the meeting will be Rev. Nicholas S. Rashford, chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority, the bi-state agency that markets the region's ports and operates river bridges and the PATCO High-speed Line.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, the agenda will include a discussion of the areas of common concerns, such as transportation, dredging and the involvement of the federal government in port projects.

The summit comes at a time when the fortunes of the region's ports are declining after being hard hit by more aggressive East Coast ports, backed with millions in public funds.

Along the Delaware River, no single port authority operates or manages the river's docks, and public funding is minuscule compared with states like Virginia and Maryland, which have had access to hundreds of millions of

dollars in recent years.

The resulting restructuring of East Coast ports has cost the Philadelphia area considerable cargo. Shipments of some key commodities, such as coal and grain, have declined markedly.

The Philadelphia Port Corp. has asked the state for $34 million to upgrade port facilities, but a study commissioned by the port corporation says $54 million will be needed. The request is pending.