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Army Corps' Arthur Kill Channel Deepening: Part of a More Extensive 50 foot NY/NJ Harbor Deepening Project

New York District
Published April 4, 2014
Blasting work being performed in the Arthur Kill Channel between Elizabeth, New Jersey and the New York Container Terminal, Staten Island, New York.  Areas of the channel contain solid bedrock which requires precision controlled, safe and staggered detonations underwater to fracture the rock for removal.  The deepening of the Arthur Kill will be the final milestone achieved in the overall 50 foot Harbor Deepening Project.  Next will be the 40 foot channel deepening of the Arthur Kill Channel leading to an oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey.

Blasting work being performed in the Arthur Kill Channel between Elizabeth, New Jersey and the New York Container Terminal, Staten Island, New York. Areas of the channel contain solid bedrock which requires precision controlled, safe and staggered detonations underwater to fracture the rock for removal. The deepening of the Arthur Kill will be the final milestone achieved in the overall 50 foot Harbor Deepening Project. Next will be the 40 foot channel deepening of the Arthur Kill Channel leading to an oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District, in partnership with The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has been deepening 38 miles of federal navigation channels in the New York Harbor to a navigable depth of 50 feet. 

The Arthur Kill Channel deepening effort is one of the last construction elements as part of a more extensive 50 foot harbor-deepening project to create safe and efficient channels for a larger class of vessels that will be calling at the Port. 

The Army Corps’ New York District awarded the final major construction contract in 2013 for deepening the Arthur Kill Channel to 50 feet which leads to the New York Container Terminal, Borough of Staten Island, New York City.

Areas of the Arthur Kill Channel contain solid bedrock which necessitates precision controlled, safe and staggered detonations underwater to fracture the rock for removal. 

"This construction is a significant component of the broader effort of the Army Corps’ navigation channel deepening project, crucial for modern‐day container ships fully loaded to navigate safely," said Bryce Wisemiller, Project Manager.

The deepening of the Arthur Kill Channel is expected to be completed in 2014 and will be the final milestone achieved in the overall 50 foot Harbor Deepening Project. 

Next will be the 40 foot channel deepening of the Arthur Kill Channel leading to an oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey. 

The project goal is to complete the 50 foot deepening in 2014 and turn over to an established dredging maintenance program, the same year the wider, deeper Panama Canal will accommodate the larger ships. 

Through the Port’s four major container terminals waterborne cargo moves to all parts of the United States and throughout the world. 

The overall Harbor Deepening project consists of various contracts to deepen the navigation channels and has involved deepening the major navigation channels beginning from the Ambrose Channel entrance to the Upper New York Bay and Newark Bay, providing access to the Global Marine, New York Container, Port Newark, and Elizabeth Marine Terminals. 

The 50 foot deepening project provides a safe and economically efficient pathway for the newest generation of container ships calling in the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port on the East Coast, providing over 269,900 direct and indirect jobs in port related activities and $11.2 billion in personal income in port related activities to the states of New York and New Jersey.