Berth 12 dredging work starts at Port Manatee

Construction has started on the first phase of Port Manatee's Berth 12 dredging project. Sarasota-based Spectrum Underground Inc. has started work to develop five-foot wide tunnels through a CSX rail line and sections of South Dock Street and U.S. 41 so that at a later date a hydraulic dredge can be used to clear the path for a container ship to the already constructed 1,584-foot-long berth. Spectrum Underground was awarded the $2.1-million bid earlier this year.

At the same time, Woodruff & Sons Inc. is already performing the dry mining of the site, using a land-based machine to clear the channel.

Phase two, the actual hydraulic dredging is scheduled to start in the first quarter of next year, but the port will be putting out the bid this November.

“This will be the most expensive part of the process because of the volume of material involved,” says David McDonald, executive port director. “We're also considering a bid alternative that would add 600 additional linear feet depending on where the bids come in.”

The drudged materials, which could total more than a million cubic yards, will be transported to property across from the port.

The entire drudging project including the alternative 600 feet is estimated at $22 million.

The goal of the new port is to create a berth that can house larger ships and more diverse cargo, both container and liquid bulk storage.

The project is the final phase of a $200-million effort to increase the capacity of Port Manatee by 50%.