Maryland Port Administration keynote speaker at Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon
Salisbury, Md. – Community stakeholders including Wicomico County and City of Salisbury officials came to the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center to hear remarks by the Executive Director Jonathan Daniels of the Maryland Port Administration during a luncheon hosted by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. One of the main points of discussion was using dredged sediment from shipping channels to restore James and Poplar Islands and other eroding shorelines.
“We’re ultimately going to look at ways in which we can keep that material in its native areas,” Daniels said. “We have now kicked off during the last few years, the Mid Chesapeake Bay Restoration project. And that is the opportunity for us to be able to rebuild the 2,400 acres that used to be barren.”
In addition, Daniels touched on the Port of Baltimore’s performance last year and its recovery after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024. Daniels stressed that interconnectivity between the Port of Baltimore and the Port of Salisbury is key to enhancing not only the state’s economy but also the region’s. Something local officials wholeheartedly agree on.
“I’ve told leaders in Annapolis for the last few years, the next economic gold mine in the state of Maryland, if they choose to take advantage of it, is the lower shore of Maryland,” Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Bill Chambers.
In an email statement to WMDT, Deputy Director of Wicomico County Public Works Adam Corry said Daniels’ message about the role Maryland’s ports play “really highlighted just how important our River is.”
“While the size and scope of the Port of Baltimore and that of the Port of Salisbury differ greatly, their respective impacts on our local, regional, national and even global economies are alike,” he said in part. “At the end of the day, management of those volumes through beneficial and innovative re-use of dredged material is the goal in tackling our long-term management needs.”
Daniels told WMDT the Maryland Port Administration is also currently building an agricultural transload facility, which would help farmers export their products around the world. The facility is planned to come online in August.
