USACE: Groundbreaking celebration of Blue Shanty Flow-way project

Major General Jason E. Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) joined forces with the State of Florida at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Blue Shanty Flow Way on September 10, 2025.

Restoring one of America’s greatest natural treasures – the Everglades, the Blue Shanty Flow Way project off the Tamiami Trail is more than just construction; it’s about uncorking nature’s water flow, removing 10 miles of berm to send 370,000 acre-feet of clean, life-giving water south into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay every year, said USACE.

“This effort is a big step in accelerating the timeline to bring back the Everglades’ natural river of grass – once a 50-mile-wide slow-moving river – and combat decades of ecological damage,” the officials said.

The Blue Shanty Flow-way will restore natural sheet flow through the southern Everglades by removing barriers and improving conveyance, allowing clean water to move south where it is needed most.

Together with the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir, the project will help deliver much needed freshwater to the ecosystems in Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. 

The project involves construction of a new flow-way through western Water Conservation Area 3B that will convey freshwater directly under the western Tamiami Trail bridges and into Shark River Slough.