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VIDALIA, La. — The Town of Vidalia has been granted a $15 million line of credit from the State Bond Commission to begin construction of a slackwater slip at the Vidalia Port.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation will reimburse the port 90 percent or $12.3 million of the construction costs.

Slackwater refers to a type of docking area where water movement is relatively slow, making it safer for vessels to dock and unload cargo.

Project bidding begins in July for the work, which entails dredging a 70-acre lake and construction of eight working pads on the slack water slip that can be leased out to industrial tenants such as farmers, fuel distributors and more, said Vidalia Port Commission deputy director Bryant Killen.

Expansion of this slip is also possible in the future for the port, Killen said.