CONGRESSMEN, INDUSTRY REVIEW BALTIMORE’s CHANNEL IMPROVEMENTS

CONGRESSMEN, INDUSTRY REVIEW BALTIMOREÆS CHANNEL IMPROVEMENTS    Maryland’s congressional officials, port administrators, the Army Corps of Engineers and shipping industry executives celebrated the successful implementation of several projects to improve vessel access to the Port of Baltimore.
   The port most recently straightened the “S-turn” in the Tolchester Channel, which was considered one of the most difficult navigational approaches to Baltimore. Last year, the port widened the Brewerton Channel from 400 feet to 600 feet, making it a “two-lane water highway.”
   The Port of Baltimore is undergoing improvements to its harbor anchorages at the head of the Fort McHenry Channel, South Locust Point, Dundalk Marine Terminal and Seagirt Marine Terminal. These improvements should be completed by the spring of 2003.
   Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari warned that failure to improve Baltimore’s port channels could lead to the diversion of cargo to other East Coast ports. “These huge ocean vessels dock at the ports that offer deep water and promise to maintain the depth, length, safety and navigability of its channels,” he said.
   However, securing the appropriate federal and state funds for these projects has been a long process. “Competition for funds that make these projects possible is fierce, because these improvements sharpen the competitive edge of the ports they benefit,” said the Maryland Port Administration.
   The Maryland Port Administration acknowledged the work of democratic Senators Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes, Representatives Benjamin Cardin and Elijah Cummings, both Democrats, and Rep. Robert Ehrlich of the Republican party to secure federal funds for port projects.