Delaware River Shipping Channel 45-Foot Deepening 60 Percent Complete

The Delaware River Main Shipping Channel project is now about 60 percent finished, thanks to the completion in late May of an 11-mile stretch known as "Reach D." The project, which is funded by the federal government and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA), will ultimately deepen 102 miles of the Delaware River shipping channel to 45 feet, benefiting marine facilities in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Dredging began in the spring of 2010 and has been completed on "Reach C" (12 miles), a 4-mile stretch of "Reach B" and most of the 11 miles comprising "Reach A."

The dredging work is being performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with PRPA and private dredging contractors. During the "Reach D" phase, about 1.0 million cubic yards of dredged material was removed without incident and deposited at the Corps’ artificial island disposal site in New Jersey. With the exception of some boulders and cobbles, Reach D is now essentially complete, according to Lisa Urban Magee, the PRPA’s director of special projects and chief environmental engineer.

The port authority is now working to secure the funding needed to complete the project. The next phase, lower "Reach E" in the Delaware Bay, was recently put up for bid and is scheduled for award this summer.

American Association of Port Authorities
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