$2.5 million keeps Charleston deepening going

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A study of deepening the shipping channel in Charleston Harbor will continue to move forward now that there’s another $2.5 million in federal money for the work.

U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham said Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to use $2.5 million to fund the study through the end of the 2012 fiscal year this fall. That money is being matched by a similar amount from the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

The Corps of Engineers is working on a study of deepening the harbor shipping channel to below 45 feet to accommodate larger ships that will be calling when the Panama Canal is widened in 2014.

The deepening study itself will cost about $20 million with another $300 million needed for the actual deepening work.