The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are partnering to construct the Craney Island Eastward Expansion project. The following paragraphs provide a general overview of the project history.

Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDMMA Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDMMA) was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1946 and constructed from 1956-1958. The Federally-owned facility is operated by USACE and is used by private interests, local municipalities, Federal and Commonwealth of Virginia government agencies for the disposal of dredged material from Norfolk Harbor and its adjacent waterways, including the Elizabeth and Nansemond Rivers.

Originally designed for a 20 year life span, USACE began studying ways to extend the life of CIDMMA in the 1970s. Advancements in engineering and management have allowed the USACE to extend the life of CIDMMA. However, in the early 1990s, USACE recognized that other options needed to be considered for long-term disposal of dredge material in Norfolk Harbor.

At the same time USACE was looking for additional dredge material placement capacity, the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) recognized that a fourth state owned marine terminal would be required to meet long-term cargo handling needs in Hampton Roads.

In 1997 the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure authorized USACE to prepare a Feasibility Study to determine the feasibility of expanding Craney Island into the east, and to consider rapid filling of the new dredge material site to provide an area for a new marine terminal.

The Feasibility Study determined that the existing CIDMMA would reach capacity in 2025 and the VPA would run out of cargo handling capacity in 2011. The objectives of the study were then focused on providing a solution that could address both of these capacity shortfalls.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), USACE evaluated all reasonable alternatives to avoid and minimize impacts to the environment. The Corps evaluated a total of 51 alternatives for dredged material placement and a total of 25 port alternatives for container handling capacity. An eastward expansion emerged as the best solution to increase the capacity of CIDMMA for dredged material and also provide an area to construct the fourth marine terminal. The final Feasibility Study recommended an eastward expansion, with a future project planned to strengthen the western dikes. The Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) were approved by the Chief of Engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Carl A. Stock, in October of 2006.

The Virginia Port Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are now embarking on the Preliminary Engineering and Design (PED) for the eastward expansion, the western dike strengthen is not required until about 2025 and will be delayed until a future date.

Construction of the eastward expansion is scheduled to begin in 2010 and the first phase of the marine terminal is planned to be operational by 2020. The undertaking will generate $6 billion in National Economic Development (NED) benefits over the 50-year life of the project.