SAVANNAH, Ga.: Senate bill would clear Savannah harbor obstacle | State News | Macon.com

A water-projects bill approved Wednesday by the U.S. Senate contains a provision that would remove a bureaucratic obstacle to deepening the Savannah harbor if the measure becomes law.

Georgia Republican Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss both praised passage of the new Water Resources Development Act, which still needs approval by the House. The bill would remove a spending cap of $459 million placed on the Savannah harbor project in 1999. The Army Corps of Engineers now estimates the project will cost substantially more – about $652 million.

“It represents major progress in terms of allowing the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project to move forward,” Isakson said in a statement.

Like other seaports on the East Coast, the Port of Savannah is scrambling to deepen its shipping channel to accommodate supersized cargo ships expected to begin arriving after the Panama Canal finishes a major expansion in 2015. Georgia officials want to start dredging along 30 miles of the Savannah River, which need to be deepened from 42 to 47 feet, by the end of the year.

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