Dredging & Marine Construction

Savannah Harbor Project Reaches Halfway Point

March 5, 2018 By International Dredging Review

At the end of February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District marked the end of the deepening Savannah Harbor entrance channel. This $134 million leg of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) deepened the entrance channel of the harbor and extended it an additional 7 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. This marks the halfway point for the overall project. Great Lakes Dock and Dredge performed the dredging, removing around 12 million cubic yards. The project started in September 2015, and the Corps said the project will wrap in March, ahead of schedule and under budget.

The Dredge Padre Island discharges one of the last loads of material dredged from the outer Savannah harbor to mark the end of deepening for the oceanside of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). The Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the expansion of the Savannah harbor. The deepening of the outer channel marks another major milestone in the $973 million project to deepen the harbor from 42 feet to 47 feet. Approximately 12 million cubic yards of material were removed to make this portion of the shipping channel deeper. The outer channel deepening was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Billy Birdwell.

“The completion of entrance channel dredging is perhaps the most significant milestone to date for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project,” Col. Marvin Griffin, Commander of the Savannah District, said. “As of today, approximately half of the Savannah harbor’s 40-mile channel is deepened and better equipped to handle post-Panamax vessels.

The overall $973 million project will deepen the harbor from 42 to 47 feet, and is expected to be completed in 2022.

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