Port of Mobile gets US$274 million federal funding for dredging works

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has allocated US$274.3 million for dredging the Port of Mobile in Alabama.

The funding, which accounts for the full federal share of the project cost, will initiate and complete construction of the deepening and widening of the port’s navigation channel. Following the required preliminary steps, construction is expected to begin toward the end of the year.

The construction will include the expansion of the Port of Mobile from its current dimensions – 13 metres deep and 120 metres wide – by deepening the existing Bar, Bay, and River Channels by 1.5 metres to a project depth of 15 metres. This will include additional depths for wave allowances, advanced maintenance, and allowable overdepth for dredging.

Following construction, the total depths of the Bar, Bay, and River Channels will be 17, 16, and 16 metres respectively.

The project also includes widening the Bay Channel by 30 metres for three nautical miles.

The harbour channel construction project, which will allow for more goods to be shipped and sold through Mobile, is financed by a split of 75 per cent federal funds and 25 per cent state-sponsored funds. Federal authorisation for the project was awarded in September 2019.