Mayor Stimpson Supports Expansion of the Mobile Harbor Channel

Sep 11th, 2018

Mobile, Ala.-- Mayor Sandy Stimpson expressed strong support on behalf of the City of Mobile for a federal plan to widen and deepen the Mobile Harbor Channel.

"Advancing the Port of Mobile is critical to driving economic success for the State of Alabama and the Gulf Coast region," Stimpson wrote in a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "The widening and deepening of our harbor channel will serve as a catalyst for economic development, increase our global competitiveness, create jobs and promote an environment in which all citizens can prosper."

Stimpson's letter was submitted to the Corps as part of the comment period on the Draft General Reevaluation Report & Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate improvements to the Mobile Harbor Federal Navigation Channel.

Stimpson said the significance of this generational project "cannot be overstated."

• The Port of Mobile is one of the largest economic engines in the state, with a $22.4 billion economic impact
  
• Since 2002, more than $1 billion in public/private funding has been invested into infrastructure improvements at the Port of Mobile, with approximately half of that total coming within the past decade
  
• The Port of Mobile is one of the 10 largest full-service seaports in the United States, with over 28.7 million tons of good and 318,889 shipping containers handled port-wide.

Expansion of the ship channel is vital to maintaining the port's growth and long-term sustainability because of the increasing size of container ships. The Corps' plan is to deepen the channel by five feet to a depth of 50 feet, widen the channel for three nautical miles to allow two-way traffic, expand the Choctaw Pass turning basin to accommodate safe turning of the larger vessels, and ease the existing bend in the Bar Channel.

"This project is a top priority of my Administration and we commit to working closely with the members of our U.S. House and Senate delegation both to maintain their support and to secure necessary funding," Stimpson said. "The City of Mobile recommends this transformational project be completed because of the significantly positive impact it will have on our citizens, businesses and the Port of Mobile's ever-expanding role in the global supply chain."

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