Port of Boston authorized to begin harbor dredging

The Massachusetts Port Authority on Thursday authorized staff to execute a Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to start deepening Boston harbor.    The Massachusetts Port Authority on Thursday authorized staff to execute a Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to start deepening Boston harbor.
   The signed agreement allows the Corps of Engineers to bid contracts for construction of a dredge disposal site, which is needed for maintenance dredging of the inner harbor’s main ship channel. Maintenance dredging will restore the inner harbor to a depth of 40 feet and is the first phase of the larger dredging project that will deepen the main channel to 51 feet. That project, which is primarily designed to benefit container ships calling at the Conley Terminal, is estimated to cost $310 million and was authorized by Congress in 2014.
   The maintenance dredging is especially important for bulk terminals on Chelsea Creek and Mystic River to operate at the greatest possible efficiency. Those terminals handle products such as home heating oil, salt, Logan Airport jet fuel and roll-on/roll-off vehicles carrying automobiles. Massport and the state DOT will pay $5 million towards the disposal site, while the Army Corps will spend $12 million for design and construction.
   According to the Army Corps’ economic analysis, every dollar invested in deepening will yield nearly $7 in economic return.