Charleston dredge study advanced

Charleston dredge study advanced    The Port of Charleston said a U.S. House committee on Thursday approved expedited studies of harbor deepening.
   The port said a bill passed by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee directs the Secretary of the Army to expedite completion of reconnaissance and feasibility studies for the next deepening project in Charleston and to proceed with preconstruction, engineering and design once the project is justified.
   The South Carolina State Ports Authority said it is seeking a post-45-foot deepening project to handle ever-larger ships in the Port of Charleston.
   The port said it has channels that are 47 feet deep at the entrance channel and 45 feet deep inside the harbor. “Charleston's channels have the opportunity to go even deeper” to accommodate the larger ships expected to call U.S. East Coast after the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014,' the port authority said.