Officials trying to keep the Yazoo Diversion Canal widening project alive are watching the calendar closely, as a federal government shutdown looming around a Thursday funding deadline threatens Army Corps’ ability to close out the financing.

The long-planned project, which would also deepen the canal dug by the Corps more than a century ago, faces a critical year in 2007, with a construction bid in hand but over cost estimates and Corps funding threatened by an anti-earmark stance of the 110th Congress.

In meetings this week between Corps officers, local economic development officials and city and county appointees, the subject was a shortfall of $500,000 to $615,000 in funding the project.

County Administrator John Smith, who represented supervisors at the meeting, briefed Warren County supervisors Thursday on the topic.

The crux of the session, Smith said, seemed to be to come up with a &#8220Plan B” in case Congress cannot extend the continuing resolution that funds nine unfinished appropriations, of which the Corps is one.

Though confidence remains that the Corps will get its allocations continued, Smith told supervisors the general feeling was the shortfall would fall in the county’s lap if the Corps does not receive its expected appropriation.

When the project was proposed, government estimates put the total cost about $3.6 million, to be covered with federal money. The rest was to be paid for by local funds, including $1.5 million from Vicksburg via the Mississippi Development Authority and federal block grants and $164,168 from Warren County supplied through the Port Commission.

A $4.7 million construction bid for the work was extended to March 20 by 4H Construction of Cleveland, Miss., the firm that came in lowest of three whose offers overshot the government estimate.

Though the contribution from Vicksburg comes largely from grant sources, Mayor Laurence Leyens said Thursday the city was still &#8220way beyond” what they had intended to put up.

&#8220It’s about 10 times what we originally committed to,” he said.

District 4 Supervisor Carl Flanders hinted at going to private industry to kick in money, a notion District 5 Supervisor Richard George shot down.

&#8220We won’t ask the taxpayers who already are paying taxes,” George said.

Flanders said a federal appropriation would cover the cost out of taxpayer money as well.

&#8220Ultimately, it all comes out of the same pot,” Flanders said.

The canal extends from the Mississippi River past City Front to the E.W. Haining Industrial Center and Vicksburg Harbor. Widening the channel is seen as a must to keep the port viable for business expansion because it would handle larger tows and be more efficient for companies doing business on the port.

When first conceived, plans for the widening called for turning a 190-foot bottom width into a 260-foot bottom width from the junction with the Mississippi River to Glass Bayou and a 185-foot bottom from there to the entrance to the harbor channel.