Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state of Louisiana and the Port of New Orleans have signed an agreement to deepen the Lower Mississippi River to 50 ft, from from the current depth of 45 ft.
"The Mississippi River has always been a critical economic engine for the United States and connects our nation’s heartland to the global economy,” said Maj. Gen. Diana Holland, commander of the Corps' Mississippi Valley Division, in a statement announcing the agreement on July 31.