Posted on May 15, 2017
By Larry Robinson, Watertown Daily Times
The green light has finally been given for dredging of the St. Lawrence River to begin at the Port of Ogdensburg as early as next year, according to U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.
Sen. Schumer said Thursday that the acting secretary of Army civil works will sign an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers by the end of this year that will provide federal funds to begin a long-awaited project to deepen the Ogdensburg Harbor.
A sign-off on the existing Project Partnership Agreement between the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers means that the port deepening initiative will enter the implementation phase this year, with a contract awarded in the spring of 2018. The anticipated completion of the dredging is set for the end of 2018, according Sen. Schumer’s office.
Deepening the Ogdensburg Harbor, last dredged in 1984, will ease congestion, reduce shipping costs and unlock new business opportunities for the north country, according to state and federal officials.
Sen. Schumer called the infrastructure investment “critical” and said the dredging will allow the Port of Ogdensburg to continue to play a key role in the region’s economy.
“Anyone who has been to the Ogdensburg Harbor in recent years has seen more hustle and bustle going on, and the good news today is that with this long-awaited plan finally moving forward, things could get even busier,” said Sen. Schumer in a statement. “Whether it’s more business or increased shipments from current customers, the Ogdensburg Harbor will now, quite literally, be more open for business.”
Sen. Schumer said the dredging plan will help keep the channel navigable so that it can continue to be a major hub of job creation and economic activity.
The Port of Ogdensburg is the only U.S. port on the St. Lawrence Seaway and is the closest U.S. Seaway Port to Europe, according to OBPA officials. It is also the northernmost port in New York state.
Owned and operated by the OBPA, the port provides a full range of terminal services. The main commodities shipped and received include road salt and corn gluten and also include other grains, fertilizers and project cargo like windmill parts. Between 2008 and 2012, the port shipped and received an average 105,000 tons.
Sen. Schumer’s office said overall the port generates more than $4 million annually in direct revenue and supports 31 direct and indirect jobs that produce over $2 million per year in personal income. The harbor is also home to an auxiliary U.S. Coast Guard station.
Deepening the port rectifies more than three decades of bureaucratic red tape and will help the OBPA make upgrades to allow multiple ships to dock at the same time, according to officials.
Sen. Schumer visited Ogdensburg last August to push for federal approval of the port project. In March, he also sent a letter to the acting assistant secretary of the Army civil works urging him to sign the pending Project Partnership Agreement with the OBPA. The agreement was needed under the Army’s Civil Works Continuing Authorities Program and Harbor Act of 1960.
The dredging project calls for deepening and widening the Lower East Channel and the Lower Basin to a depth of 27 feet.
The federal agreement to dredge the St. Lawrence River near the Port of Ogdensburg follows a 2015 state Department of Transportation grant of $10 million to extend the port dock wall, creating a second vessel berth by adding 500 feet of dock to the existing 1,200 feet. The money will also be used to square up the port’s dock face and expand storage facilities.
Source: Watertown Daily Times
