The port of Charleston — the main maritime rival for Georgia’s main port of Savannah — hopes to deepen its harbor to 52 feet to better handle the next generation of super-sized containers ships.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released Tuesday a draft proposal to gouge another seven feet from Charleston’s harbor. A final decision on the $509 million project isn’t expected until 2019, at the earliest.
Georgia, meanwhile, will sign off Wednesday on its long-awaited deepening plan to lower the Savannah River’s depth by 5 feet to 47 feet. The $706 million project could get underway this year.
Gov. Nathan Deal, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and other dignitaries are expected Wednesday to tout the deepening Wednesday in Locust Grove. The state and the corps will sign a joint partnership agreement delineating each side’s engineering and financial responsibilities.
