The Virginia Port Authority has sent a "letter of intent" to the Port of Richmond, proposing a five-year lease of the facility, said Joe Harris, an authority spokesman, according to The Virginian-Pilot (MCT).

The authority's letter to the Richmond port comes about three months after Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton said the state was interested in the Port Authority possibly taking over the facility.

The Port of Richmond, on the James River south of downtown off Interstate 95, is owned by the city of Richmond, managed by the Port of Richmond Commission and operated by PCI of Virginia, a private company, according to the port's website.