Big projects. Busy waterways. A lot to navigate
Ports are engines of commerce, but expanding and improving them is rarely a simple endeavor. Channel improvements, terminals, dredging, navigation projects, and other maritime infrastructure can involve complex environmental permitting, federal review, sensitive coastal resources, industrial operations, neighboring communities, and stakeholders with very different priorities.
Hollaway has decades of experience helping port authorities, navigation districts, federal and state agencies, engineers, and private industry move maritime projects forward.
Our environmental teams understand the coastal resources and regulatory processes that shape these projects. Our communications teams know how to engage maritime users, agencies, elected officials, neighboring communities, and other stakeholders throughout planning and environmental review. And our creative team makes complex projects easier to see and understand.
Together, we help clients anticipate what is ahead and navigate it.
Our Capabilities
Environmental Planning + NEPA
We help port and maritime teams identify environmental considerations early and develop clear, defensible documentation to support federal feasibility, project development, environmental review, and decision-making.
- Feasibility and environmental constraints studies
- NEPA documentation (Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, and Environmental Impact Statements)
- Section 4(f) evaluations
- Section 106 and cultural resources coordination
- Socioeconomic and community impact analyses
- Hazardous materials initial site assessments (Phase I ESAs)
- GIS and environmental data analysis
- State and federal agency coordination
Coastal + Natural Resources
Our scientists help project teams understand the coastal systems and natural resources that shape navigation, dredging, port development, permitting, mitigation, and restoration.
- Wetland and stream delineations
- Clean Water Act Section 404 and Section 10 permitting support
- Protected species surveys
- Migratory bird, eagle, and freshwater mussel surveys
- Coastal habitat assessments
- Mitigation planning and coordination
- Ecosystem restoration support
- Field investigations and technical documentation
- State and federal agency coordination
Public Involvement + Stakeholder Engagement
Port and maritime projects can involve a wide range of interests: from federal agencies and maritime industries to elected officials, neighboring communities, property owners, and environmental stakeholders. We help clients engage those audiences early, communicate complex projects clearly, and document meaningful participation throughout project development.
- Public involvement, communications, and engagement strategies
- Messaging and branding development
- Stakeholder identification
- Maritime and industry stakeholder engagement
- Community and property owner outreach
- Public meetings and hearings
- Virtual and hybrid engagement
- Elected official and agency briefings
- Multilingual community engagement
- Public comment management and documentation
- Issues, crisis, and opposition communications
Creative + Digital Communications
Port and maritime projects can be difficult to visualize, particularly when much of the work occurs in waterways, navigation channels, or industrial areas unfamiliar to the public. Our creative team turns technical information into clear visual communications that help people understand what is proposed, where it is happening, and why it matters.
- Project websites and digital engagement platforms
- Interactive mapping, StoryMaps, and informational presentations
- Project videos and animations
- Drone photography and project documentation
- Public meeting and hearing exhibits
- Infographics, fact sheets, project collateral, and educational materials
- Technical project visualization
We Know the Working Coast
Ports are part of communities, but they are also highly technical working environments where navigation, industry, transportation, environmental resources, and economic activity come together.
Hollaway has supported major channel expansion and deepening efforts, port planning and feasibility studies, dredging and mitigation projects, and federal environmental reviews throughout the Gulf Coast.
That experience has given us an understanding of both the projects and the people involved—from the agencies responsible for environmental review and permitting to the maritime industries that depend on reliable navigation and the communities that live alongside port infrastructure.
We bring that perspective to each new assignment, helping project teams identify issues earlier, understand competing priorities, and communicate clearly with the people who can affect—or will be affected by—the path forward.