WARETOWN, NJ — A $6.2 million dredging project is set to begin this month in several Southern Ocean towns, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced.
The Waretown Channel Complex project will complete dredging in Barnegat Light, Barnegat, Long Beach Township, Waretown and Lacey.
It will restore channels to a safe navigable depth. NJDOT’s contractor, JF Brennan, will dredge approximately 90,000 cubic yards of fine sand and silt from multiple channels within the Waretown Channel Complex. The following eight channels serve emergency services, commercial fisheries, marinas, homeowners and recreational boaters:
- Holiday Harbor
- Skippers Cove
- Waretown Creek
- South Harbor
- Double Creek Mainland
- Double Creek
- High Bar Harbor
- Barnegat Light Stake
The project will restore safe navigation by dredging the channels to their appropriate depths, between six and nine feet. The public is advised to use caution when boating in the area.
Dredging operations are scheduled to begin this month and are expected to be completed in December 2025. Work will be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The area is expected to remain open throughout the duration of the project.
All material removed from the channels will be transported via pipeline and discharged into the Oyster Creek Confined Disposal Facility. The pipeline will be clearly marked with buoys and lights for safe navigation. Channel closures are not expected, but if they are needed, closures will be communicated through the Local Notice to Mariners. State Aids to Navigation (ATON) will be removed as necessary for the duration of the project.
The public is advised to be aware of and stay alert for the pipeline, buoys, dredge, and other maritime construction equipment during the project. NJDOT asks that no one enter the construction areas nor approach project-related equipment (including dredges). Boaters should proceed through dredging and construction zones with caution and can contact the contractor for meeting/passing arrangements on Channel 4. No wake speed should be observed in active work zones.
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