U.S. public port authorities will invest just over $9 billion in the next five years to improve and expand their facilities, according to Deputy Maritime Administrator John Graykowski, who addressed the American Association of Port Authorities' (AAPA) 88th Annual Convention, held in New York last week. Ports are spending record levels to expand and improve their facilities to meet projected demand, Graykowski said. Local port authorities have spent almost $20 billion since World War II. In 1998, ports invested nearly $1.5 billion, almost equaling the record set in 1997, including $154 million for general cargo. During the five-year period between 1999 and 2003, ports predict they will spend $9.1 billion, compared to $7.7 billion between 1998 to 2002.