Port of Oakland launches turning basins project

Officials from the Port of Oakland and the US Army Corps of Engineers have signed a design agreement initiating the Oakland Harbor Turning Basins Widening Project, a US$ 640 million infrastructure investment that will enable the next generation of large, environmentally advanced container vessels to call at Oakland. The design agreement, signed aboard the historic USS Potomac, represents the first step in a project expected to be completed in 2030. The project addresses a fundamental operational constraint: cargo vessels today frequently reach 1,300 feet in length and currently navigate turning basins that offer only 150 feet of clearance on either side. Widening the turning basins will allow larger and more efficient vessels to manoeuvre safely, complementing Oakland’s recent installation of the West Coast’s tallest ship-to-shore cranes. Dredging material from the project will create beneficial reuse opportunities for the Montezuma Wetlands restoration project in Solano County.