Posted on March 28, 2022
FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — A dredging project planned for later this year at the Port of Florence will remove tons of silt and allow for better access for barges when water gets low on the Tennessee River during the winter.
The TimesDaily reported that the work, set to begin during the summer, is being funded with a combination of federal, state and local money.
The accumulation of silt in the channel has reduced its depth to the point some parts of the port are unusable during the winter months, when the Tennessee Valley Authority lowers the level of Pickwick Lake.
Barges require a depth of at least 9 feet (2.7 meters), and port officials want to get the channel to a depth of 10 feet (3 meters) during the winter, said Hal Greer, the port director.
“It will enhance operations here and prevent the interruption of operations. It will also open up the upper end of the harbor for the fleeting of barges and allow for expansion,” he said.
The port is an intermodal transportation facility which includes river, rail and ground transportation options. It connects northwest Alabama and south-central Tennessee to the Port of Mobile through the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
