After four years’ study, the Army Corps of Engineers has given the okay to digging deeper shipping channels around Harbor Island at the mouth of the Duwamish River.
The dredging down to a depth of 57 feet would allow the world’s longest and deepest cargo ships to carry full loads to and from the Port of Seattle.
Those ships can come to Seattle today, but only if they’re not fully loaded: the East and West Waterways, on either side of Harbor Island at the Port of Seattle, are too shallow for them, with depths ranging from 34 to 51 feet.
Port officials hope to have the harbor deepened by 2024.
The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma aim to nearly double the amount of ship traffic they handle in the next 10 years.
