Dredging is underway in Boston Harbor, day and night, as part of a federally and state-funded $350 million, 3 1/2 year project aimed to bring bigger container and industrial ships through the harbor shipping channels.
The first phase is to make space for new sediment near Charlestown (shown above) and then deepen the Main and Outer Harbor shipping channels in the harbor to depths of 47-51 feet. Barges are being used to transport excavated material in and out of the harbor.
After the dredging, Conley Container Terminal will be able to handle 12,000 TEU-vessels up from 8,500 today. MassPort is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contracted with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock.
This is what Boston needs? More imported goods? 350 mil? That would rebuild most of the delapidated transit system in this city
Of course it is what we need. The entire city is dependent on the harbor for imports AND exports, plus for larger cruise ships, which is becoming a bigger tourist source (many of which go to the North End/Waterfront). Plus, you have to do periodic dredging anyway just to maintain existing infrastructure levels, since sediment builds-up on the harbor floor over time. So part of this has to happen anyway as general maintenance.
Also, it does not add additional imports to Boston (market demand determines that). The same end-number of imports would arrive here, but with a higher percentage arriving directly via water, rather than the existing situation, where we have to receive a lot in NYC (who can handle the larger ships), and then transport everything by truck from NYC to here, leading to higher costs, more pollution, and more truck traffic into an already-crowded city.
Harbor maintenance and MBTA maintenance are not either/or — they are both essential to the city.
Are you sure you understand the importance of dredging?