Maintenance dredging of the Port of Redwood City’s shipping channel was completed last week, restoring the channel to its authorized depth of minus 30-feet for the first time in almost two years. Dredging was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Maintaining this full depth allows ocean carriers to bring in fuller and more economic loads of cargo needed for construction in the San Francisco Bay/Silicon Valley area, while also facilitating the recycling of scrap metal by exporting to Asia. The bigger Panamax ships serving the Port of Redwood City and providing materials for the construction of roads and buildings in the region, require a dependably dredged channel and turning basin to assure efficient operation.
Maintaining and improving the nation’s marine navigation network is the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, utilizing funds generated by the Harbor Maintenance Tax paid by importers. Each year the Corps and Congress must determine how to allocate these limited funds among the hundreds of navigation projects nationwide. U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative Jackie Speier were instrumental in helping secure $7.9 million in funding for the just completed Redwood City Channel dredging.
