A long-discussed plan to deepen the lower Mississippi River by another five 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.
The Advocate reports that 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.
The deep-draft navigation project would benefit four Louisiana ports that are among the nation’s 15 largest by annual tonnage.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.
