State Senator Patty Ritchie announced that she has secured $200,000 in special state grant funding to start dredging at the Port of Ogdensburg.
“The future of Ogdensburg’s deep water port is at risk from 30 years of silt build up that makes docking more difficult, dangerous and costly,” said Senator Ritchie . “This funding helps kickstart the dredging project, protects jobs and adds to the Port’s potential to increase shipping and work opportunities.”
In addition to jobs created by the dredging and silt removal project, the Port itself supports 70 jobs and pumps more than $5 million into the local economy each year.
It was last dredged in 1984, and the rising river bottom from accumulated silt could sink recently expanded efforts to attract new business, and create more local jobs.
It’s estimated that dredging will remove 74,000 cubic yards of silt—enough to fill more than 4,000 typical dump trucks, or about 700,000 wheelbarrows.
“Dredging Ogdensburg’s harbor is vital to our efforts to bring new ships, new jobs and new business to the North Country,” said Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Chair Sam LaMacchia.
“We appreciate Senator Ritchie’s efforts to help keep the Port of Ogdensburg a vital link in our region’s economic development efforts and transportation system,” said OBPA Executive Director Wade Davis.
The Army Corps of Engineers has been studying the dredging project and is expected to make its recommendations shortly. It is expected that the bulk of the dredging costs will be covered by the Corps.
Press Release, July 3, 2014