News Releases

Army Corps to Conduct Public Information Meeting to Discuss ongoing Deepening of the Arthur Kill Channel

Published March 8, 2012
 New York- The Arthur Kill Channel off of Elizabeth, N.J. and north of Shooter's Island is currently being deepened to allow large ships to safely transit the shipping channel to the New York Container Terminal, Staten Island, N.Y. Some areas of the Arthur Kill Channel contain solid rock that is being broken into smaller pieces to be dredged from the channel floor, using a controlled, safe detonation of explosives placed in the underwater rock. Underwater blasting commenced in the Arthur Kill Channel north of Shooters Island in August 2011.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a public information meeting to discuss ongoing deepening of the Arthur Kill shipping channel at the following location and date/time:

City Hall of Elizabeth

In the Council Chambers

50 Winfield Scott Plaza

Elizabeth, NJ 07201

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Note: This is NOT a Public Hearing

The public information meeting will be interactive with opportunities to ask questions and obtain information

about the project directly from Army Corps representatives and its contractors and consultants regarding:

• Purpose and description of overall Harbor Deepening Project.

• Why drilling and blasting is imperative and necessary for the safety of ship navigation and how it’s being accomplished.

• Voluntary residential Property Inspection Program.

•Independent noise and vibration compliance monitoring.

While drilling may be performed intermittently, blasting operations will only occur during daylight hours (two hours after sunrise and one hour before sunset). Blasting will not be performed before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. or on Sundays / Federal Holidays. Residents are encouraged to call the hotline number at (201) 339‐6470 for any concerns.

The Army Corps in partnership with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are improving the main shipping channels in the Port by deepening them to a depth of 50 feet, allowing safe and more efficient access to the world’s largest oceangoing ships. The overall Harbor Deepening Project involves dredging nearly 38 miles of shipping channels between New York and New Jersey to bring them to a depth of 50 feet. The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port on the East Coast, providing more than 269,900 direct and indirect jobs in port related activities. Through the Port’s four major container terminals waterborne cargo moves to all parts of the United States and throughout the world. The overall 50 foot deepening project is scheduled for completion in 2014.


Contact
Vince Elias
917-790-8204
vincent.f.elias@usace.army.mil

Release no. 12-006