USA: Senator Calls for Delaware River Deepening

After fighting to secure funding for the Delaware River deepening project in the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget, U.S. Senator Bob Casey is urging Senate appropriators to support the full request of $31 million for the project.

“The Delaware deepening project will give an essential boost to the economy of southeastern Pennsylvania, so it’s imperative that the President’s funding request I helped to secure moves forward in Congress,” said Senator Casey. “With tens of thousands of jobs for the region at stake, I will continue to fight to make this project a reality.”

“The project deepens the Delaware River Channel from forty to fort-five feet in order to accommodate larger vessels. This will reduce shipping cost, make maritime transportation more efficient and make the channel safer and more reliable. Once the channel is deepened, there will be an estimated increase of 2.5 million tons of cargo to the Port of Philadelphia, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs. In addition, this project will create thousands of short-term jobs that aid an industry that has suffered significantly in this economic climate,” he said.

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Dredging Today Staff, March 28, 2012;