Dredging equipment was moved into the Port of Iberia a couple of days ago by Magnolia Dredge & Dock – starting the process of dredging the first seven miles from the port to the Intercoastal Canal.
“The deepening of the Acadiana Gulf of Mexico Access Channel is well underway,” said Craig Romero , Port of Iberia Executive Director.
“The dredging has begun and we are excited to be closer to allowing much larger vessels to access our port, therefore creating more job opportunities for all of Acadiana. Thank you to our entire Acadiana legislative delegation for securing the necessary funding to make this project a reality.”
According to Romero, it will take approximately three weeks to get the equipment hooked up and the process of deepening the channel will take anywhere between eight to 10 months.
The work will see 1.3 million cubic yards of dredge material from the bottom of the channel and will deepen the channel to a depth of 16 feet with a bottom width that is 160-feet wide.