[1]The Oakland Harbor Turning Basins Widening Project [2] has achieved a key milestone after the Port of Oakland [3] and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [4] (USACE) signed a Design Agreement that allows the $642 million project to transition from the study phase into Preconstruction Engineering and Design (PED).
The project will widen both the Outer Harbor and Inner Harbor Turning Basins—akin to cul-de-sacs, but for ships—to allow larger, modern container vessels to turn around safely. That, in turn, will enable the Port to reduce operational inefficiencies and maintain economic competitiveness with other West Coast seaports. The expansion of the Inner Harbor Turning Basin, located in the Oakland Estuary just east of the Main Street Ferry Terminal, will require the excavation and dredging of a portion of land currently occupied by the Continental Terminals Annex, at the foot of Mitchell Avenue in Alameda.
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[6]Planning for the project began in 2020. The Board of Port Commissioners [7] certified the Final Environmental Impact Report [8] (Final EIR) and approved the project in July 2025.
At a ceremony aboard the USS Potomac in Oakland on August 27, federal, state, and local leaders—including Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft—highlighted the regional importance of the project.
“Oakland Harbor is a critical node in our nation’s supply chain,” remarked Major General Jason Kelly, USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations. “We are going to ensure that it remains a powerhouse in American commerce for decades to come.”
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who, during her tenure as Congresswoman secured $300 million in funding in 2011 to begin the project, called the project a “win-win-win” for the community in a video [9] posted to social media.
She added: “It’s a win for the business community, for our labor unions, our jobs, for the business community and for local residents. This is going to create more job opportunities.”
Construction for the project could begin as soon as 2028. When complete, the Inner Harbor Turning Basin will be widened from 1,500 feet to 1,834 feet, and the Outer Harbor Turning Basin will be widened from 1,650 feet to 1,965 feet. A previous project deepened the basins to minus-50 feet in 2009.
Contributing writer Ken Der covers the Planning Board, development, and transportation issues for the Alameda Post [10]. Contact him via [email protected] [11]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der [12].