Posted on August 31, 2026
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) San Francisco District and the Port of Oakland commemorated the signing of the inaugural Design Agreement for the Oakland Harbor Turning Basins Widening Project.
The ceremony took place on Aug. 27 aboard the USS Potomac, the presidential yacht used by the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The $642 million project involves widening both the Inner and Outer Harbor turning basins at the Port of Oakland to better allow ships to turn around. Vessels routinely calling Oakland today are increasingly larger and longer and face spatial restrictions, resulting in inefficiencies that lead to delays and negative economic impacts.
Construction is anticipated to begin as early as 2028.
The ceremony included presentations by:
- Stephanie Dominguez Walton, Port of Oakland President and event emcee
- Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Representative of California’s 12th District
- Barbara Lee, Mayor of the City of Oakland
- Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly, USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations
- Lt. Col. Virginia Brickner, USACE San Francisco District Commander
- Kristi McKenney, Port of Oakland Executive Director
The speakers made the following remarks:
Barbara Lee, Mayor of the City of Oakland: “When I was in the [California] Legislature … when we wanted to dredge … labor, the business community, the Port and the environmental community were at each other’s throats. I mean, there were big fights going on. And so, I called everyone up to my office in Sacramento [the state capital], and we had this big meeting.
“Out of that meeting … we made a commitment that we were going to dredge to 50 feet [to support deepening the Port of Oakland ship channel] and that we would create wetlands in Sonoma Bay as well. So, I carried the legislation for Sonoma Bay wetlands, and we were able to … get the environmental community on board, labor, the business community and the Port to begin that 50-foot dredging project to be able to create these wetlands with the dredge spoils …
“We want the Port to remain … competitive economically. We want to make sure that we protect the environment. We want to make sure that we create good-paying union jobs, and we want to make sure that the Port … continues to not just survive but thrive. That’s an example of this community being persistent—not patient, but persistent! …
“Oakland … plays a critical role as the Pacific Gateway for the United States: exporting agriculture from the Central Valley, protein from the Midwest, and wine and beverages … And so, every box … that comes through the Port feeds our families, supports restaurants and small businesses across Oakland and throughout the country.”
Oakland Port Commission President Stephanie Dominguez Walton: “I’m the President of the Board of Port Commissioners here at the Port of Oakland, and it is an honor to be amongst all of you … generals, public servants, elected officials, Port staff and everybody who makes this possible. This is really a big day for us …
“We are honored to be aboard the USS Potomac, FDR’s presidential yacht … Today marks a historic occasion for the Port as we sign the inaugural Design Agreement for the Turning Basin Widening Project, which will keep Oakland competitive and allow us to continue supporting the thousands of jobs here in the East Bay and across the country.”
US Congresswoman Lateefah Simon: “I’ve just got to say, these women in leadership! Our Port Director, our Port President, our Mayor and our USACE San Francisco District Commander …
“Thank you, members of our armed service community, for being here. Seeing you all … in your fatigues is pretty inspiring, knowing that we are coming together from federal, state and regional organizations to proclaim what the region deserves. And today, we are calling for all of us to celebrate … almost a decade of work, long meetings, a lot of advocacy and collaboration.
“Behind every shipping container, like the Mayor said, that comes through this Port, there’s a job where warehouse workers and mechanics and merchant mariners and truck drivers and hardworking community members … make sure that the goods are delivered to our restaurants, to our hospitals, to our small businesses in our community and, again, throughout the global region.”
Lt. Col. Virginia Brickner, USACE San Francisco District Commander: “I just want to thank the study team for maintaining their sense of urgency to deliver on these goals over many years and many phases. And that all brings us to today, the culmination of all this work … to celebrate the signing of what we call a Design Agreement between us as USACE and the Port … as our non-federal sponsor.
“So, sir [Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly], you already hit on this … What does that all mean? … We’re signing a paper … but we’re doing more than that. We are moving into the preconstruction engineering and design phase of the project. We are moving forward. We are showing progress. We are getting ready to put those dredgers in the water and … as Representative Simon said: ‘Get to work.’
“So, I can assure you, we are bringing all of our best minds and tools to the table as we develop a shared path forward on this project …
“Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly, US Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, is with us from Washington, DC. Sir, thank you for making the time in your busy schedule to join us for this important milestone and sharing your vision …
“We know that transforming our navigation infrastructure is an absolute priority for the Chief of Engineers and for this [Trump] administration, and we are laser-focused as a district on delivering this project on schedule and within budget.”
Kristi McKenney, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland: “I love the remarks about infrastructure. Ultimately, as a public agency running a Port, we are all about the infrastructure. That is what we deliver so that business and economic prosperity and opportunity can happen in our community … and that’s why this project is so critical.
“And while you may never actually see much of it, because it’s going to be under the water, it is mission-critical to the Port of Oakland staying at the forefront like it has been for over a hundred years …”
