By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Grays Harbor signed a project partnership
agreement for a harbor navigation improvement project on May 26 at the US Army
Corps of Engineers Seattle District Headquarters.
The Grays Harbor Navigation Improvement Project plans to
deepen about 14.5 miles of the 27.5-mile channel from the currently maintained
depth of -36 feet to the fully authorized depth of -38 feet. The deepening
would occur from the South Reach upstream to Cow Point Reach where the port’s
Terminal 4 is located.
The project’s purpose is to improve the efficiency of
deep-draft vessel navigation in Grays Harbor. The port and Army Corps of
Engineers say the project is needed to alleviate large vessel restrictions
imposed by the insufficient channel depths. Ship transportation in the existing
upstream channel is limited by depth, they say.
Port commissioners Jack Thompson and Stan Pinnick, port
Executive Director Gary Nelson and International Longshore & Warehouse
Union Local 24 President Mike Brown were joined by US Sen. Patty Murray
(D-Wash) and Col. John G. Buck, Commander of the Seattle District USACE, for
the ceremonial signing of the agreement, which allows the project to begin
construction this fall.
“Grays Harbor provides an important link between United
States products and international markets,” Nelson said. “This project directly
supports hundreds of family-wage jobs and ensures our position to serve our
diverse users well into the future.”
