On October 9, 2019, John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, signed a contract with New Jersey-based Weeks Marine to begin the deepening of the western side of the Thimble Shoal Channel.
In late September, the port’s board of commissioners approved the contract with Weeks. The contract for the first phase amounts to USD 78 million and the total cost of the project will be USD 350 million.
The work includes dredging the shipping channels to 55 feet – with deeper ocean approaches – and widening the channel to more than 1,400 feet in specific areas.
