Port of Virginia gets approval for Norfolk Harbor dredging

The Port of Virginia’s Wider, Deeper, Safer project to deepen and widen Norfolk Harbor’s commercial shipping channels has secured full federal authorisation with the October 23 approval by President Donald Trump of the US Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.

The project’s inclusion in the bill will lead to the Port of Virginia becoming the deepest and safest port on the US East Coast.

The dredge work will take the inner harbour’s commercial channels to 16.76 metres deep and the channel in the Chesapeake Bay to 17.06 metres. Further, the channel will be widened to as much as 420 metres in select areas, which will allow for two-way traffic of ultra-large container vessels.

The project’s target completion date is 2025.