WEST CALCASIEU
Vinton Port Awards Dredging Contract
John Guidroz
A Mandeville-based company will dredge the mouth of the Vinton Navigation Channel to a depth of 10.5 feet, opening the door for recruiting new tenants at the Port of Vinton, port officials said.
Earlier this month, the port’s board awarded the work contract to Magnolia Dredge and Dock LLC. The $832,672 bid was the lowest of three received.
Lynn Hohensee, port director, said there is a demand for facilities that support barge transportation in Southwest Louisiana.
The mouth of the channel will be dredged north from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway by 1,945 linear feet, Hohensee said. The shallowest existing depth at the channel is 6.5 feet.
Lee Lancon, an engineer with the West Calcasieu Port, said more than 20,000 cubic yards of spoils will be dredged. Private landowners will use the spoils to enhance marshland conditions, he said.
The work also calls for widening the approach from the GIWW into the channel and back into the waterway.
The project will be funded by $500,000 from the Gravity Drainage District 2 of Ward 7, along with a $200,000 economic development grant provided by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.