[WASHINGTON] House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on a bill that would authorise deepening several US ports ahead of the expansion of the Panama Canal and the bigger ships that will use it.

The bill - the first such measure in seven years - will include language that would let ports pay the costs of deepening harbours up front, then seek reimbursement from the government once the project is authorised by lawmakers. That could help facilities that sought the provision, such as Port Everglades in South Florida, reduce construction time by years.

"That's a big part of this bill," House Transportation Committee chairman Bill Shuster, said in an interview. "They've got money ready to go."