Port of Virginia wraps up dredging on East Coast’s deepest harbor

Construction of the 55-foot deep shipping channel and harbor, a key project in The Port of Virginia’s $1.4 billion Gateway Investment Program, is now complete – making Virginia home to the deepest port on the U.S. East Coast. 

 “Completion of this project positions The Port of Virginia as a national leader in US port infrastructure development and will help drive the Virginia economy,” said Sarah J. McCoy, interim executive director of the Virginia Port Authority.

“In order to be America’s Most Modern Gateway, you have to offer modern infrastructure, and with a restriction-free channel that is capable of easily handling the biggest ships in the Atlantic trade, we are.” 

The channel dredging was completed February 28, and the post-dredge survey to confirm the channel’s depth and width, along with additional maintenance work, is underway.

Once the expanded and deepened channel has been mapped and its depths verified, the maritime charts will be updated to reflect the increased capacity.

All work is schedule for completion in late spring. 

The dredging project also included widening areas of the channel, which allows for two-way traffic of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs); the widening project was completed in February 2024.