The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is carrying out a geotechnical investigation on the Tampa Harbor federal navigation channel in Florida as part of plans to deepen the waterway, Port Tampa Bay said on Monday, October 26.
The work entails taking soil borings and subsurface samples at several channel locations to assess soil conditions and guide engineering and design decisions. Fieldwork is expected to continue through the end of 2026.
The Tampa Harbor navigation improvement project would deepen the approximately 42-mile (67.6-kilometre) main channel from 43 feet (13.1 metres) to 47 feet (14.3 metres). The port said the design would follow a "channel-within-a-channel" approach, focusing the deepening on the channel's centre and limiting growth in its overall footprint.
According to the port, a deeper channel would increase the amount of cargo vessels can transport on each call. Fuel, construction materials, automobiles, steel and consumer goods are among the cargoes serving West Central Florida that it expects to benefit.
Citing the USACE general reevaluation report, the port said the project could reduce transportation costs by about $90 million annually nationwide.
The deepening is expected to yield dredged material totaling more than 21 million cubic yards (16.1 million cubic metres). The port said potential uses include restoring and stabilising Egmont Key at the entrance to Tampa Bay, as well as seagrass and hard-bottom habitat creation.
The project was authorised under the Water Resources Development Act of 2024. USACE and the Tampa Port Authority signed a design agreement on September 16, 2025, which began the preconstruction engineering and design phase. Construction is anticipated to start in fiscal year 2028.
The recommended plan includes deepening Egmont Cuts 1 and 2 at the gulf entrance to 49 feet (14.9 metres). The extra depth is intended to account for stronger wind, waves and currents.
