DESCRIPTION: Manage and monitor 50-foot navigation channels within the New York and New Jersey Harbor; New York and New Jersey. This includes 35 miles of navigation channels and anchorage areas within the Upper and Lower New York Harbor.
AUTHORIZATION: The 50-foot projects include the Ambrose Channel to -53 feet MLW datum; the Anchorage Channel, Arthur Kill Channel (to Howland Hook Marine Terminal), Bay Ridge Channel, Kill van Kull Channel, Newark Bay Channel, and Port Jersey Channel to -50 feet MLW datum (-52 feet in rock or hard substance) as authorized by Section 101(a) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, Public Law 106-541. Additionally, New York Harbor and Adjacent Channel, Port Jersey was authorized by Public Law 99-662 to a depth of -41 feet MLW datum as amended by Section 337 of Water Resources Development Act of 1999, Public Law 106-53, and modified in 2004 to authorize the project to -50 feet MLW datum.
COMMERCE: This asset supports deep-draft commercial navigation in the Port of New York and New Jersey, including over 100 million tons of freight traffic transported through these waterways on an annual basis (based on waterborne commerce data reported for 2021), consisting primarily of petroleum products, chemicals, crude materials, manufactured goods, and food & farm products.
BACKGROUND: Maintenance dredging of this asset was last completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in September 2023, when approximately 150,000 cubic yards (CY) of dredged material was removed from Arthur Kill 50-foot each, with that processed dredged material placed at upland sites in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, maintenance dredging was completed in July 2022, when approximately 150,000 CY of dredged material was removed from the Kill Van Kull 50-foot reach, and beneficially used at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS) in the Atlantic Ocean. Prior to the above-noted maintenance dredging work, the NY & NJ Harbor Deepening work (to 50-feet) was completed in September 2016.
STATUS: In FY2024, commonly performed Operations & Maintenance (O&M) work includes expected solicitation and award of a contract (subject to availability of funds), for the next maintenance dredging cycle within the 50-foot Arthur Kill reach, in the summer/fall of 2024. Production of annual hydrographic channel condition surveys, and publication of controlling depth reports on the District’s website (https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Controlling-Depth-Reports/) is also scheduled for FY2024.
CONTACT:
Alexander F. Gregory
Asset / Project Manager
P: (917) 790-8427
Email: alexander.f.gregory@usace.army.mil
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
District area NY # 11; NJ #'s 6, 7, 8