U.S. Army Corps of Engineers endorses plan to deepen lower Mississippi River for larger ships

A long-discussed plan to deepen the lower Mississippi River by another 5 feet to accommodate larger ships has won a critical endorsement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which foresees nearly $110 million in annual net economic benefits to the project.

In signing off on the $238 million project, James Dalton, the Corps’ civil works director, said the project is “economically justified and environmentally sustainable.” He recommended that Congress move ahead with funding. Dalton signed the recommendation Aug. 3.

The deep-draft navigation project would benefit four Louisiana ports that are among the nation’s 15 largest by annual tonnage: the Port of New Orleans; the Port of Greater Baton Rouge; the Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District; and the Port of South Louisiana, which is centered in LaPlace but extends 54 miles along the river between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Together, the ports and commercial facilities within their jurisdictions move more than 500 million tons of cargo a year, including 60 percent of the nation’s grain, and are connected to 14,500 miles of inland navigable waterways.

Read more: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_d2929508-a4aa-11e8-b803-f7cefabc9843.html