A $1.1 trillion spending bill approved by Congress contains a small amount of money to help begin deepening the Port of Savannah's shipping channel.

The measure sent to the White House over the weekend includes $1.52 million in construction funding for the long-sought Savannah harbor expansion, which is expected to get started in early 2015. That's less than 1 percent of the $250 million the Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend in the project's first year.

The federal government has committed to pay 60 percent of the harbor deepening's $706 million total cost. But getting money from Washington has been tough. Gov. Nathan Deal has agreed to spend $266 million in state funds upfront so dredging can begin.

Savannah has the fourth-busiest U.S. port for containerized cargo.

Tags: savannah harbor expansion, congress approves bill for savannah harbor expansion, Port of Savannah, Army Corps of Engineers