Mobile Harbor deepening deal inked

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, has entered into a Project Partnership Agreement with the Alabama State Port Authority, to deepen and widen the Mobile Harbor Ship Channel in Mobile, Alabama. 

Colonel Sebastien P. Joly, Commander of the Mobile District, and John C. Driscoll, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Alabama State Port Authority, signed the agreement on June 17, 2020.

“Joint signing of the Project Partnership Agreement is yet another step forward in delivering expanded capability for the Port of Mobile, the State of Alabama, and our Nation to remain competitive in the global market” said Col. Joly. “The US Army Corps of Engineers is honored to have the opportunity to partner with the Alabama State Port Authority in delivering a project that will benefit the public for decades to come.”

The initial construction phase of the Mobile Harbor project will be awarded in the fall of 2020, said USACE.

The completed project will consist of deepening the existing Bar, Bay, and River Channels to a depth of 50 feet, incorporating minor bend easing at the double bends in the Bar Channel, widening the Bay Channel from 400 feet to 500 feet from the mouth of Mobile Bay northward for 3 nautical miles to provide a two-way traffic area for passing, and expanding the Choctaw Pass Turning Basin by 250 feet to the south at a depth of 50 feet.

At a total estimated construction cost of $365 million, the Mobile Harbor Widening and Deepening project is anticipated to occur over six construction phases, with a targeted project completion by March 2025.