Posted on December 28, 2017
By Robert McCabe, The Virginian-Pilot
The second of two big dredging projects that port officials have sought for years is a little closer to dropping into place.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a draft report and environmental assessment for the proposed deepening of sections of the Elizabeth River, including the Southern Branch.
The documents – a main report and 10 appendices together totaling nearly 770 pages – can be found at the Army Corps of Engineers website. Public comments about the draft report are invited and due by Jan. 15.
If the current proposal gets all the necessary green lights, a portion of the Elizabeth River including the Southern Branch, stretching roughly from Lamberts Bend near the Virginia International Gateway container terminal to Perdue Farms in Chesapeake, would be deepened to 45 feet from 40 feet.
Another section from Perdue Farms to the Norfolk Southern Lift Bridge would be deepened to 42 feet from 40 feet, while the section from the railroad’s bridge to the Gilmerton Bridge would be dredged to 39 feet from 35 feet. A third segment to the south would continue to be maintained at 35 feet.
While the Corps had called for dredging the northernmost section of the project to 44 feet, the process allows for the dredging to go deeper if paid for with nonfederal funds.
That, finally, is what the Corps recommended, pushing the estimated cost of the project from about $153 million to roughly $163 million.
In early November, the Corps released a parallel report for the proposed dredging of the port’s main shipping channels to at least 55 feet and the widening of the Thimble Shoal Channel to 1,200 feet from 1,000 feet.
That report is now under intensive internal review by the Corps of Engineers, with a final report and recommendation to Congress expected by the end of 2018. The Virginia Port Authority, however, has asked the Corps to expedite the review of the report and to finalize its recommendation earlier, according to the Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District.
While the port has had congressional authorization to dredge to 55 feet since 1986, it needs another authorization because the channel dimensions sought in places – up to 59 feet deep and 1,200 feet wide – exceed the 1986 limits.
If all goes as planned, Hampton Roads’ shipping channels would be deeper and wider than those of the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest port in the nation.
The total cost of the 55-foot project is estimated to be nearly $322 million.
The smaller Southern Branch project does not need another authorization from Congress because it would not exceed the 45-foot limit OKd in 1986.
Comments about the Southern Branch report should be submitted to David Schulte, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, at 757-201-7009 or david.m.schulte@usace.army.mil.
Source: The Virginian-Pilot
