Just in time for summer, three dredging projects in Monmouth County have been completed by the NJDOT also signal the restoration of these waterways to navigable depths for the first time in three-decades.

Waackaack Creek in Keansburg, the Monmouth Beach Channel and Rumson Country Club Y Channels in Shrewsbury and the Shark River Channels in Shark River were the three waterways being improved and are now ready for the 2018 boating season as well.

DOT officials cite Superstorm Sandy's damage as to the reason why boating options had been limited and emergency response and commercial vessel traffic, slowed down.

Between these dredged projects and the ones in Ocean County, the DOT invested $20,200,000.00 to complete them.

The Shark River project began in November of 2015 and the NJDOT's contractor, Mobile Dredging and Video Pipe, Inc., removed about 70,000 cubic yards of material from the Shark River Channels.

This project totaled $7,600,000.00 and was finished with the efforts of Monmouth County, Neptune, Neptune City, and Belmar in phases to comply with federal regulations that prohibit dredging work between January and June 30.

DOT officials say the first phase removed nearly 50,000 cubic yards of material to bring channel widths to 75 feet wide and 6-feet deep.

Phase two took place in September of last year where 20,000 cubic yards of material were removed.

The Shrewsbury project which cost $1,000,000.00, began last September by Tri State Dredging who helped remove about 13,000 cubic yards of sand from critical shoals in Monmouth Beach Channel and Rumson Country Club Y Channels which directly link to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Long Branch Reach Channel.

The project restored the Monmouth Beach Channel to an authorized depth of seven feet, and the Rumson Country Club Y Channel to six feet.

Sand from the dredging project was removed and then used to build up the beach.

The Keansburg project which started up in December of 2017 by NJDOT's contractor Wickberg Marine Contracting removed nearly 4,700 cubic yards of sandy material through 2,000 feet of pipe to restore Waackaack Creek to an authorized depth of six feet.

The $375,000.00 project eliminated a sand shoal that was considered a severe navigation hazard for boaters using the channel.

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