The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the harbor to accommodate larger, deeper-draft vessels. A primary goal of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s port improvement program is providing superior ocean access to accommodate the demand for international cargo through our region. This will improve navigational safety and allow the port to accommodate the next generations of larger cargo vessels.

In 2005, work was completed on the 45-foot dredging of the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay channels. These channels provide primary access to the Port Newark and the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal. The project, which began in 1999, was completed ahead of schedule.

The Arthur Kill is being deepened from 35 feet to 41 feet. The confluence with the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay South, as well as Howland Hook and south of Howland Hook will be dredged to 40 feet in the first quarter of 2006.

With the 45-foot channel deepening completed, the corps has already begun the next phase of the Harbor Deepening Project, which consists of deepening key channels to 50 feet.

Dredging has commenced on the western two-thirds of Kill Van Kull, and on the deepening of the Ambrose channel.

The Corps has substantially completed the deepening of the Port Jersey Channel to 41 feet and began construction of the 50-foot deepening in early 2006. The dredging, which is sponsored by the state of New Jersey, will provide access to present and future terminals on the Bayonne and Port Jersey Peninsulas.