Port of Oakland's $640 Million Turning Basin Expansion Project Enters Design Phase

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 15, the Port of Oakland announced that it had signed a design agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Port of Oakland Turning Basin Expansion Project, officially entering the pre-construction engineering and design phase. The project has a total investment of approximately $640 million and will expand two vessel turning basins in the port's inner harbor and outer harbor, with completion planned for 2030.

The existing inner harbor turning basin has a diameter of approximately 1,500 feet, and the project plans to expand it by another 334 feet to reach 1,834 feet; the existing outer harbor turning basin has a diameter of approximately 1,650 feet and will be increased by 315 feet to reach 1,965 feet. Both basins are located within the Port of Oakland's federal navigation channel system and are used for turning and berthing/unberthing operations of large container ships during port entry and exit.

The Port of Oakland currently regularly accommodates large cargo ships approximately 1,300 feet in length, while the existing turning basins provide only about 150 feet of clearance on each side under certain operating conditions. In recent years, the port has simultaneously upgraded its large shore crane equipment, and the expanded turning basins will support a new generation of large container ships for port entry, exit, and berthing operations.

The project has completed its environmental impact assessment. The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners certified the project's final environmental impact report in July 2025 and approved the project to proceed. The project design agreement had previously been placed on the Board of Port Commissioners' June 2026 agenda, with the design phase agreement valued at $2.7 million.

The expansion project will involve harbor basin dredging and partial shoreline adjustments. Some of the dredged material generated by the project is planned for use in the Montezuma Wetlands Restoration Project in Solano County, achieving reuse of dredged materials.

The Port of Oakland's previous planning and design phase will continue until 2027, followed by main construction, with the overall project expected to be completed in 2030. The project is jointly advanced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Oakland, with design and construction costs shared under the federal navigation channel project mechanism.