The $55 million needed to complete the Delaware River channel deepening project will be secured from the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal budget, according to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
The project will receive $21.875 million from the Army Corp's 2016 work plan. Another $33.135 million was included in President Barack Obama's $4.1 trillion budget proposal, released Tuesday.
The project, expected to be completed in 2017, will deepen the Delaware River channel to 45 feet from the mouth of the Delaware Bay to Philadelphia and Camden. The channel, originally 40 feet deep, is being dredged to accommodate large ships, an effort to keep local ports competitive.
Two portions of the project need to be completed – a segment of the Delaware River stretching from Wilmington to Chester, Delaware County and the remainder of the Delaware Bay.
The project began in 2010. It is projected to cost $364.3 million.