PortMiami begins $220M deep dredge project

PortMiami
PortMiami

The deepening of Miami’s seaport in advance of the Panama Canal expansion is finally underway.

PortMiami officials announced Thursday that the long-discussed deep dredging of the seaport has commenced, Reuters reported. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the $220 million project. Plans call for the port’s channels to reach a depth of 50 feet to accommodate the larger ships expected to be used once the Panama Canal widening is finished in 2015.

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Dredging is scheduled to be completed in 18 months. The project is part of $2 billion in infrastructure improvements planned at Port Miami.

The seaport services about four million cruise passengers each year and moves a substantial amount of cargo volume. [Reuters]Eric Kalis