SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – President Donald Trump is seeking another $49 million funding installment for deepening Savannah’s busy shipping channel.
The $973 million dredging project for the Port of Savannah has been under way for more than two years. The Georgia Ports Authority says it needs about $100 million annually to avoid construction delays. Trump requested roughly half that amount in his budget Monday, as he did last year.
Griff Lynch, executive director of Georgia’s seaports, says the Army Corps of Engineers may find additional money in its discretionary budget later this year. Gov. Nathan Deal has requested an additional $35 million in state funds that could keep the project on schedule.
Savannah and other East Coast ports are racing to deepen their harbors as larger cargo ships arrive through the expanded Panama Canal.