REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.—
REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.----
The Port of Redwood City (Port) announced today the allocation of $7.95M from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Work Plan. This appropriation advances a critical federal dredging project in 2019, supporting Port operations, ensuring continued ship access to the Port and furthering Port economic activity to the Silicon Valley region. Dredging allows the Port to better support existing customers, grow operations serving larger cargo vessels in the future and move more cargo by ship, which takes trucks off the road, alleviating congestion and reducing gas emissions.
“The funding of the channel dredging and federal investment into our region is great news for the Port of Redwood City, providing certainty that the Port continues to secure and expand maritime activities in the future,” said Lorianna Kastrop, Port Commission chair. “This project is significant to the economic health of the Silicon Valley region, notably the construction industry as the Port supplies construction materials to fuel construction needs locally. Additionally, dredging also supports personal water recreation use in and around the Redwood Creek Channel. We thank the United States Army Corps of Engineers and our Congressional delegation, including Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and Congresswoman Jackie Speier, for their continued leadership and focus on the Port’s strategic long-term priorities to help further our position as a leading west-coast foreign trade agency.”
The Port of Redwood City is the only deep-water port in the South San Francisco Bay, with a channel depth of 30 feet mean lower low water (MLLW), offering three deep-water berths and five wharves to support international foreign trade and maritime activities of the Silicon Valley region and west coast of the United States. Dredging throughout the Port’s waterways and the San Francisco Bay Channel maintains and improves the width, depth and length to berth large vessels.
The Port recently announced their best year in history generating $8.6 million in revenue and over 2.3 million metric tons of cargo moving across the Port docks, a 49% percent increase in cargo over the prior year. The last record-breaking year was in 2005, which generated 1.9 million metric tons of cargo. The Port anticipates continued growth in revenue and cargo activities in 2019.
The Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT), paid through import fees on shippers and service providers calling at United States ports across the nation, funds the USACE FY 2019 Work Plan. The HMT funds the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of waterways to provide adequate shipping channels for goods movement into the United States.
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