The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New England District will start work on a project to improve New Haven Harbor in Connecticut this week.
“New Haven Harbor is being modernized to strengthen the safe, efficient movement of essential goods and energy resources throughout Connecticut and the Northeast,” said Craig Martin, senior project manager with the USACE New England District. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Connecticut Port Authority, the project’s non-Federal sponsor, are advancing improvements that will allow larger, more efficient vessels to use the harbor while improving vessel maneuverability and reducing delays.”
The work has been coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard, Connecticut Port Authority, New Haven Port Authority, federal and state regulating agencies, port pilots and stakeholders of the harbor. Great Lakes Dock and Dredge Company (GLDD), the USACE contractor awarded the job, is expected to complete the project over two dredge seasons (a five-month period between October to March) starting this week and running through the beginning of March 2028.
The New Haven Harbor Improvement Project will modernize the approximately 5.5-mile New Haven Harbor federal navigation project serving deep-water terminals at the head of navigation. Planned improvements include:
• Deepening the entrance channel, main channel, maneuvering area, and turning basin from -35 feet to -40 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW);
• Extending and widening the entrance channel from 500 feet to 600 feet outside the breakwaters;
• Widening the channel bend between the breakwaters from 560 feet to 800 feet;
• Widening the main channel from 400 feet to 500 feet inside the harbor; and
• Optimizing the turning basin for more efficient use by larger vessels.