NYNJ harbor deepening project

Shipping is crucial to international commerce. The 6th generation container ships require a draft of 48ft. The New York District of the USACE and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are deepening NYNJ harbor from a depth of 40ft to 50ft to accommodate these deeper ships. The deepening was estimated to take 12 years at a cost of US$2 billion dollars. Eight years into the construction, the project is ahead of schedule and under budget. The New York Times reported in 2006 that new technology was responsible for unexpected efficiencies and environmental viability of the deepening project.