Posted on September 25, 2024
MONMOUTH COUNTY — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-6) today announced the continuation of a major dredging project in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Following a temporary pause in January of this year for fish spawning, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has resumed maintenance dredging this month with the goal of completing the project by the end of 2024.
Pallone said he secured $26 million for the project as part of a federal spending bill for Fiscal Year 2023, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden.
“Dredging in these rivers is essential for both local recreation and commerce,” said Pallone. “The Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers are not only natural treasures but also critical to the economy of our coastal communities. Ensuring safe navigation for boaters by addressing the shoaling in the federal channel is a top priority, and I’m glad to see this important work continuing.”
The project is taking place in three phases, with the first phase already completed during the summer 2023. This initial phase involved dredging sand material from the mouth of Sandy Hook Bay south to the Route 36 bridge. The second and third phases were started last fall before the January 2024 pause.
In the second phase, the Army Corps is dredging the remaining sand material from the Shrewsbury River and the Navesink River. This sand will be transported and pumped onto sections of Monmouth Beach for beach replenishment. The final phase, which will run concurrently, will focus on dredging the silt material within the federal channel of both rivers as far west as the Branchport Avenue Bridge in Long Branch for the Shrewsbury River and as far west as the Route 35 Bridge in Red Bank for the Navesink River. The dredged material will be transported to a nearby facility in Woodbridge for processing and repurposed as construction fill.
Pallone said he first secured funding for this crucial project after receiving reports of dangerous shoaling that posed risks to navigation.
