PHOTO: iStock/Felix Mizioznikov
While most Americans view April 15 with dread, as it’s tax day, yacht owners who frequent South Florida and businesses there alike will likely celebrate. That’s the day that dredging will begin on the Dania Cutoff Canal, after about 15 years of planning.
According to an article in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, the dredging project affects a mile-long stretch, extending from Port Everglades to east of the U.S. 1 bridge. It’s expected to take a year and cost $6.5 million. When completed, the Dania Cutoff Canal will have a depth of 17 feet, up from its current 10-foot depth.
When we first reported two years ago on the proposed dredging project’s impact on megayachts, yacht-refit facilities were particularly eager to see it approved. That’s because some of them can accommodate megayachts to 200 feet, but the canal’s existing depth prevents the yachts from reaching the facilities. As a result, the yards have been losing business to companies farther north on the U.S. East Coast and overseas that benefit from deeper ports.
A study conducted as part of the 15 years of planning backs them up. According to the Sun-Sentinel, that study reveals that the economies of Broward and Palm Beach counties can be boosted by $18 million per year. “You’re now opening the whole area up,” the paper quotes Jason Harrington, operations manager for Dania Cut Super Yacht Repair Facility, as saying. “As far as the local economy, it completely benefits everybody.” He adds, “I’ve turned boats away because of the draft issue; now I won’t have that problem.”
The Dania Cutoff Canal dredging project is the first part of a larger dredging project for a variety of waterways in the two counties. The second phase will see the Intracoastal Waterway deepened, starting at Port Everglades and stretching to the Las Olas Boulevard Bridge. That’s particularly good news for Pier 66 Marina, Bahia Mar, and the annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. David Roach, director of the Florida Inland Navigation District, which is funding most of the project, tells the paper, “They’re going to be able to bring in more and larger boats to the boat show.”
If New York City is on your must-visit list for this year, the