Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger inaugurated the $450 million Norfolk Harbor deepening and widening project at Norfolk International Terminals, formally establishing the Port of Virginia as home to the deepest commercial shipping channel on the U.S. East Coast. The project reached substantial completion on February 28 and allows 14,500- to 24,000-TEU ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) to transit fully loaded and supports two-way traffic. The dredging is the centerpiece of the Gateway Investment Program, alongside a completed $83M rail expansion (2M TEU annual capacity), a $220M Portsmouth Marine Terminal heavy-lift conversion, and a $650M North Berth renovation at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) set for mid-2027 completion. NIT's $650M renovation will install four new low-profile ship-to-shore cranes and lift annual throughput capacity to 5.8M TEUs, with a fifth ULCV berth coming online. Norfolk Harbor is the only East Coast waterway federally authorized for 55-foot dredging. The project was funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and accelerated nearly 2.5 years ahead of schedule.
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