Charleston Harbour land plan approved

The plan, which will see the State Ports Authority buy the land on Charleston’s Daniel Island for $1.5m, was approved by the board on 16 August.

Charleston’s City Council granted initial approval to the project the day beforehand.

The new land is located next to land that already belongs to the State Ports Authority and is used to store materials from dredging.

The Charleston Harbour deepening to 52 feet, which is a $529m initiative, will lead to the Port of Charleston being the deepest navigation channel on the East Coast.

It is expected to begin in the autumn and is anticipated to be a project lasting between 40 and 76 months, depending on factors including funding, dredge availability and weather.

Companies have submitted bids for the project’s first phase to the Army Corps of Engineers, the organisation overseeing the venture, with the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company’s bid of $47.2m being the lowest.

Prior to granting the contract, the Army Corps need to confirm whether the bid is acceptable, something which is anticipated to happen next month.

The State Ports Authority, as well as state and federal governments, are funding around $2bn of improvements for large container ships calling more frequently on the Port of Charleston.

The ports authority is also creating a new harbour terminal, while Palmetto Railways is constructing a facility for the transfer of shipping containers between trucks and rail cars.