New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials yesterday announced the award of a $7.6 million contract to dredge state channels in the Shark River in Monmouth County.
Efforts to dredge the Shark River have been underway for well over a decade. After Superstorm Sandy the need to dredge the river increased significantly due to sediment deposited by the storm, impeding navigation within those channels. Funding issues and concerns over where to dry the dredged materials have historically stalled the progress of this project.
“ The awarding of this contract comes from the successful partnership of state and local officials ,” NJDOT Commissioner Jamie Fox said. “ The NJDOT team did an outstanding job pulling together legislators, county, and municipal officials to make this long languishing project a reality. There were many hurdles involved but, thanks to the cooperation of all parties, the Shark River will finally be dredged.”
Mobile Dredging and Pumping Co. has been awarded the contract to restore the state channels to allow safe passage for recreational and commercial traffic. The project requires dredging approximately 102,000 cubic yards of sediment comprised of sand and silt. The sediment will be hydraulically dredged and piped via a secure welded pipeline to the selected dewatering locations.
Two dewatering sites will be utilized – a portion of the Belmar Marina parking lot in Belmar Borough and Seaview Island in Neptune Township. The dewatered material will then be trucked to the Monmouth County Reclamation Center for beneficial use.
According to the NJDOT release, the start of the work is expected in the coming months and the completion in the winter of 2016.
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