The Alabama Port Authority has announced that the final phase of the Mobile Harbor Modernization Project has begun.
The six-phase project commenced in May of 2021 and is expected to be completed in the first half of next year.
The sites benefitting from phase six dredge material are Dauphin Island Causeway, Deer River, and Relic Shell.
All three of these environmentally beneficial projects were identified during the research and design phase of the Mobile Harbor Deepening and Widening Project.
Also known as the General Reevaluation Report (GRR), this three-and-a-half-year-long process was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from November 2015 to May 2019.
The harbour project is expected to make the Port of Mobile the deepest port in the Gulf of Mexico and bring additional fluidity with a 3-mile passing lane for post-Panamax vessels.
To prepare for the increased demand, APM Terminals (APMT) recently invested $40 million in two new ship-to-shore cranes that arrived last month.
“Once complete, this project will provide a major advantage to shippers, creating even more opportunity for economic development, not just in Mobile but across our state and region,” said Director and CEO, John Driscoll.
“Beyond the economic impact, the port is proud to have committed 100 per cent of usable material from the channel to support environmentally beneficial projects throughout the Mobile Bay area, all of which are great examples of what can be accomplished when we work together.”
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“Dauphin Island benefits not only from the port’s economic impact but also from the environmentally beneficial use of material from projects like the deepening and widening,” said Mayor, Jeff Collier.
“With the breakwaters complete and thanks to a partnership between Mobile County, the port, and the Corps, the shoreline restoration of our causeway – which is the only way on or off Dauphin Island by road – is now ready to take material from phase six of the harbour project.
“Separately, we plan to continue working with the Corps on beach replenishment efforts using material dredged from regular ship channel maintenance.”
Earlier this summer, the Alabama Port Authority announced its application for a federal grant to launch a major emissions reduction effort at port facilities.
