The $190 million project to deepen the Columbia River’s shipping channel from 40 feet to 43 feet will be finished by the end of this year. Construction got under way in 2005, following almost two full decades of planning and lobbying by ports, business interests and labor groups along the river. U.S. Senator Patty Murray told local business and labor leaders that the deepening project ensures the river will remain the “lifeblood” of the economy in Southwest Washington. Longshoreman Cager Clabaugh drew chuckles when he noted that the promise of a deeper channel started shortly after he started the job after high school.

From the Columbian, February 20, 2010