Obama 2016 budget seeks $21M to deepen Savannah harbor

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) President Barack Obama is asking Congress for big money to help Georgia pay for deepening the Savannah harbor. <br /> <br /> The fiscal 2016 White House budget request released on Monday includes $21.05 million for dredging the river channel cargo ships use to reach the Port of Savannah. It's Washington's first major request for construction funding for the $706 million project since it won final approval in 2012. <br /> <br /> Billy Birdwell, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah, confirmed the budget request. <br /> <br /> The Army Corps is starting construction on the Savannah harbor expansion this year with $266 million the state of Georgia has already set aside. Ultimately Washington is supposed to pay 60 percent of the cost. <br /> <br /> In December, Congress passed a budget bill containing just $1.52 million for the expansion.