DESCRIPTION: A channel 40 feet deep, of the following widths, 1,200 feet from the Narrows to Bay Ridge Avenue, Brooklyn, thence 1,750 feet to the junction of Bay Ridge and Red Hook Channels, and thence 1,200 feet through to its junction with Buttermilk Channel. In the entrance to Gowanus Creek, the width narrows uniformly to b5090 feet at 28th Street, Brooklyn. The length is about 4 miles.
AUTHORIZATION: The Federal Navigation Project for Bay Ridge and Red Hook Channels, New York was adopted in 1899 and modified in 1930.
COMMERCE: In 2023, the annual commercial freight traffic reported for this this navigation asset was approximately 693 thousand short tons, and consisted primarily of wood products such as lumber, wood and chips and some petroleum products (2023 Waterborne Commerce of the U.S. report). The channel also supports State Police and USCG Search and Rescue Marine Units.
BACKGROUND: Maintenance dredging of this asset was last completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in November 2021, when approximately 867,000 cubic yard (CYs) of dredged material was removed from the channel and beneficially used as Remediation Material at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS) in the Atlantic Ocean; funding under Public Law 113-2 (Hurricane Sandy Recovery Supplemental Appropriations Act) was used for this maintenance dredging project to meet the needs of the channel users requiring access to the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Prior to that, the channel was maintenance dredged by USACE in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, when approximately 120,000 CYs of dredged material was removed and also beneficially used at the HARS.
STATUS: In FY2026, funds are being used for commonly performed Operations & Maintenance (O&M) work, including preliminary engineering & design and coordination to identify the most practicable and available beneficial use for the ongoing accumulation of sediment within the Bay Ridge Reach for possible out year maintenance dredging, subject to availability of funds. Production of an annual hydrographic channel condition survey, and publication of a controlling depth report on the District’s website (below) is scheduled for FY2026. (https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Controlling-Depth-Reports/)
CONTACT:
William T. Bruno
Asset / Project Manager
P: (917) 790-8516
Email: William.Bruno@usace.army.mil
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
District Area: NY #10 & 11