The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) delivered to Congress its FY 2020 Work Plan for the Civil Works program with specific projects that will receive funding. The Work Plan distributes the programmatic funds Congress added to the Corps Investigations, Construction, and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) accounts. Over $1.6 billion was allocated for the Corps Navigation Program’s coastal and inland projects. Congress also directed that there be ‘new starts’ in the Investigations and Construction accounts.
Investigations – The Port of Oakland’s turning basin widening and the Port of Baltimore’s channel deepening at Seagirt Terminal were named as new Feasibility Study starts. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey received funds to complete its Feasibility Study. In addition, the Port of Seattle and Port Houston received funds to start the Preliminary Engineering and Design (PED) work necessary to advance to construction, while the Port of Virginia received funds to complete PED in FY 2020.
Construction – Port Everglades and Port Freeport received funding for Construction new starts. Programmatic funds were distributed to 4 of the 7 navigation channel deepening projects currently underway and to the Soo Lock construction project on the Great Lakes. In addition, the $377 million in Regional Dredging Demonstration funds were distributed for the deepening of Mobile Harbor in Alabama and the Mississippi River Ship Channel from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Louisiana. Funds will be used to begin the navigation channel deepening to 50 feet at both locations.
O&M – Additional funds were distributed to 111 coastal navigation projects, mostly for navigation channel maintenance dredging.
For questions or additional details, contact Jim Walker at jwalker@aapa-ports.org.