Port of Chester


The Port of Chester is an American port on the west bank of the Delaware River in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Centered around Chester it ranges into Marcus Hook to the south and Eddystone to the north. It is part of the Delaware Valley port complex and lies between the Port of Wilmington and the Port of Philadelphia. Traditionally, shipbuilding and later automobile assembly were the mainstays of the port. It has since given way to other manufacturing and recreational activities, with Penn Terminals the only traditional maritime facility.

History

The waterfront is part of the Delaware Valley port complex. It is located on the west bank of Delaware River in Chester, Eddystone and Ridley Park. It is upstream of the Trainer Refinery and downstream of Philadelphia International Airport. Stoney Creek, Chester Creek, Ridley Creek, Crum Creek and Darby Creek mouth along the shore.

Shipping channel

In the "project of 1885" the U.S. government undertook systematically the formation of a shipping channel wide from Philadelphia to deep water in Delaware Bay. The River and Harbor Act of 1899 provided for a channel wide from Philadelphia to the deep water of the bay.
Since 1941, the Delaware River Main Channel was maintained at a depth of. A 102.5-mile stretch of this federal navigation channel, from Port of Philadelphia and Port of Camden to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, was deepened to, which was completed in 2017.

Navigational aids

The Marcus Hook Range Lights are range lights downstream of the port; Tinicum Island Range Lights are upstream of it. Additional navigational aids are located along the shore.

Roads

parallels the river and is known as the Industrial Heritage Highway.
The Commodore Barry Bridge carries U.S. Route 322. U.S. Route 13 also runs through Chester.
Interstate 95 and Interstate 476 are nearby and intersect at Crum Lynne.

Rail service

Rail service to the port is within Conrail's South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Area, based at Pavonia Yard over Delair Bridge, the most downstream railroad bridge, crossing the Delaware at Pennsauken, New Jersey. The Stoney Creek Secondary parallels the port and has on site spurs. Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation Philadelphia Subdivision are also active.
The Wilmington/Newark Line, originally built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, is a commuter rail line is one of the 13 lines in SEPTA's SEPTA Regional Rail network.

Facilities

Maritime, water, energy and industrial