Dredging Of Shrewsbury, Navesink Rivers Should Be Completed By January

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — After a pause this year for fish spawning, the major dredging project in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers has resumed again, and it should be completed by the end of 2024.

This was announced Tuesday by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ6), who represents this area in U.S. Congress.

The dredging had to pause in January of this year for fish spawning.

But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resumed the work this September. This is maintenance dredging to keep the Shrewsbury and Navesink deep enough and navigable for boaters.

Pallone first secured funding for the dredging after local motorboat owners in the area told him there was dangerous shoaling (sand bars) in both rivers, posing risks to boat navigation.

“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 Rt. 36 bridge. The second and third phases were started last fall.

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 Ave. bridge in Long Branch for the Shrewsbury River and as far west as the Rt. 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.