Posted on February 25, 2020
The first phase of the dredging of the Annisquam River is set to end Friday at midnight after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received a second two-week extension to mitigate the invasive nature of the project on the local environment and the river’s habitat.
Gloucester Harbormaster T.J. Ciarametaro on Monday said the new deadline will help reduce the amount of work contractors will need to do when they embark in October on the final phase of the $7.85 million project designed to return the federal channel to full navigability.
The first phase initially was set to end on Feb. 15 after the Army Corps received its first two-week extension. Once the last load is dumped Friday night, the Army Corps and its contractors on the river will focus on demobilizing the dredging equipment and completing surveys of dredged areas to update navigation charts and buoy patterns.
“They definitely have to come back next year to finish areas of the Blynman Canal and perform any spot maintenance in other parts of the river, such as around the mouth of the Annisquam near the lighthouse,” Ciarametaro said. “They’re trying to complete the surveys for the areas already 100% dredged.”
Ciarametaro said the project, designed to remove about 140,000 cubic yards of sand to return the full channel’s depth to at least 8 feet at mean low tide, is more than 90% complete — including the particularly troublesome spots around Thurston Point and the preponderance of shallow areas around Wolf’s Hill.
“From here on out, they’re going to be kind of everywhere, taking care of those sections that might need some spot maintenance,” Ciarametaro said.
He said the extended work schedule for the dredging project will not impact or interfere with the current repair project on the Blynman Bridge. On Monday morning, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation took the 112-year-old bridge out of service as a drawbridge for a structural repair project expected to last until about April 10.
The Army Corps got a late start on the dredging of the Annisquam after the city was forced to scramble to make up a $2.4 million budget shortfall for the long-sought project. Initially set to begin in October, the actual dredging did not commence until the middle of November.
The extensions, the 24/7 nature of the project and the unseasonably mild winter weather helped the Army Corps get back on track, Ciarametaro said.
Contact Sean Horgan at 978-675-2714, or shorgan@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanGDT
Source: gloucestertimes.com
