PHOTO of the Charleston Harbor deepening

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District has had many influential projects over the last 150 years that continue to have an impact today.

At the same time, the District is currently working on hundreds of different projects throughout Charleston, the state of South Carolina and the entire southeast.

Among the projects that are currently underway is the Charleston Harbor Post 45 Deepening Project. This spring, there will be up to 10 dredges working in Charleston Harbor at the same time trying to get this work done.

This is the largest project the District has ever taken on at more than $500 million and has been in the works for more than 10 years.

In September of 2017 the District awarded the first construction contract for deepening a portion of the entrance channel to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD) for approximately $47 million. In October of 2017 USACE awarded the second contract, to cover the remaining portion of the entrance channel deepening, to GLDD with a value of $278M.

In August 2019, the Corps awarded next dredging contract of $124 million to Norfolk Dredging Co. This will create a 52-foot depth from the Lower Harbor up Wando River to Wando Welch Terminal. Last fall, the District awarded the project’s final contract to Marinex Construction Inc. The $34M contract includes work along the Cooper River.

According to the Corps, this project is nearing completion, with construction scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2022.

The completion of this project will mean that any containership can access Charleston Harbor at any tide. Charleston Harbor will be the deepest harbor on the east coast and will continue to impact jobs all throughout the state.