Posted on August 31, 2026
OAKLAND, Calif. – Leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District and Port of Oakland signed a milestone design agreement Aug. 27 paving the way for construction of the Oakland Harbor Turning Basins Widening Project.
The $642 million project aims to widen both the inner and outer harbor turning basins at the Oakland Seaport to better allow ships to turn around. Vessels routinely calling Oakland today are larger and longer and have transit restrictions resulting in inefficiencies, which can lead to delays and negative economic impacts. The improvements will allow the world’s largest and most environmentally advanced vessels to maneuver through the port’s waterways safely and efficiently for generations to come.
“Oakland Harbor is a critical node in our nation’s supply chain,” said Maj. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations. “Today, we take the next step in ensuring it remains a powerhouse of American commerce for decades to come.”
The mid-morning signing ceremony took place aboard the historic USS Potomac, berthed at Oakland’s Jack London Square, and a waterside tour of port facilities and the two turning basins. Federal, state, and local leaders had the chance to reflect on the next phase of the project: Pre-Construction, Engineering and Design (PED) Phase.
“If we look back, it has really been an enormous lift by so many people moving us through the early stages of the planning process to a signed chief’s report in 2024 to today’s design agreement to the investment we will see for decades to come,” said USACE San Francisco District Commander Lt. Col. Virginia Brickner, who alongside Port of Oakland Executive Director Kristi McKenney, were the two signatories on the agreement. “We will ensure taxpayer dollars are spent delivering results rather than unnecessary process, something our Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Mr. Adam Telle has been championing through the Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork (BINP) initiative.”
One innovative BINP approach that the District and Port staff are pursuing is a design-build solution, as opposed to design-bid-build, to the Outer Harbor Turning Basin to accelerate contracting timelines and get dredgers onto the water faster.
Specifically, the project involves widening the Inner Harbor Turning Basin an additional 334 feet, from its current diameter of 1,500 feet to 1,834 feet. The Outer Harbor Turning Basin would be widened an additional 315 feet, from its current diameter of 1,650 feet to 1,965 feet. Beneficial use of suitable dredged material from the project will contribute to the creation of approximately 205 acres of wetlands.
“Investing in critical infrastructure today ensures Oakland remains a competitive port city for generations to come,” said McKenney. “Larger vessels and taller cranes are the lifeline to our regional economy, and we’re grateful our partners at the Army Corps of Engineers share our vision for a more prosperous, efficient, and safer future.”
The widening project comes on the heels of another big milestone celebrated by USACE and the Port in 2009 – the Oakland Harbor Minus 50-Foot Deepening Project. This massive $433 million project deepened the federal channels of the Oakland Harbor from -42 feet to -50 feet. More than 3.5 million cubic yards of dredged material from the project was used for wetland restoration at the former Hamilton Army Airfield in Novato, Calif.
For more information on the Oakland Turning Basins Widening Project, please visit: https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-and-Programs/Current-Projects/Oakland-Harbor-Turning-Basins-Widening/.
