Option B, which has been granted to the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDC) in a deal worth $31.6m, calls for the dredging of one million cubic yards of material from Fisher Island turning basin to Fisherman’s Channel.
This new option brings the value of GLDC’s contract with the port to more than $205m.
Andria Muniz-Amador, PortMiami spokesperson, said to Port Strategy: “PortMiami will be one of only three U.S. Atlantic ports to be at 50 feet in late 2014. The deeper depth will allow PortMiami to accommodate new, larger vessels.”
The dredging forms part of the construction phase for the port expansion, which is due for completion by summer 2015. Ms Muniz-Amador told PS that the project is both “on time and on budget.”
Miami-Dade County said that when the expansion is completed it will double the volume of cargo that passes through the port annually and increase turnover to more than $34bn.
PortMiami is in a state of major transition. “A number of large capital projects comprising the most ambitious improvement programmes in its history will transform PortMiami and its facilities over the next several years”, Ms Muniz-Amador added.
A new port tunnel, scheduled for completion in spring 2014, aims to improve access to and from PortMiami serving as a dedicated roadway connector linking port facilities with Florida’s Interstate System.
PortMiami has also partnered with the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) to re-introduce on-port rail services. The restored tracks, which are now operational, link the port to the national rail system.