Port Awaits Completion Of Delaware R. Channel Deepening

The ongoing construction of the Delaware River Main Channel Deepening project is a partnership between the Corps of Engineers and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. During this endeavor, Gahagan & Bryant Associates, Inc. is providing dredging engineering, cost estimating and construction management support to the PRPA team. GBA is a unique engineering firm that specializes in providing consulting and engineering services for a variety of projects, including port development, dredged material management, hydrographic surveying, coastal engineering and construction management.

There were several significant events that occurred in the past year to continue to deepen the Delaware River shipping channel from 40 to 45 feet. The project received federal funding as part of both the Corps’ federal fiscal year 2012 work plan and funding in FY 2013. With the receipt of the federal funds and matching funding by PRPA, the Corps awarded two construction contracts to continue the project’s construction. The project was also included in the FY 2014 President’s Budget. A total of $20 million was included in his budget to continue the work.

Several dredging contracts have been awarded and completed this year. The first of these was for a total of $15.1 million to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to perform the dredging work for Reach A. The construction contract for Reach A began in September 2012 and was completed in February 2013. It covered a 9.5-mile area between the Walt Whitman Bridge and the Philadelphia International Airport. About 1.3 million cubic yards of material was dredged and placed nearby at the Corps of Engineers Confined Upland Disposal Facility at National Park.

The second contract, totaling of $18.5 million, was awarded to the Dutra Dredging Group to perform the dredging operations for Reach D. The Reach D contract began in February 2013 and was completed in May 2013. Reach D is an 11-mile stretch of the River from Artificial Island, N.J. to the vicinity of Woodland Beach, Del. A hopper dredge, the Stuyvesant, was used to conduct the dredging; also a drag barge was used to level any high spots remaining in the dredging template depth of 45 feet. A total of about 1 million cubic yards of material was dredged. The material was placed at the Corps of Engineers Artificial Island CDF in New Jersey.

The third contract, which has just been advertised, the Broadkill Beach contract, will dredge a 15-mile stretch extending north from the mouth of the Delaware Bay. Bids are scheduled to open in summer of 2013. The material from the channel, approximately 1.8 million cubic yards, will be placed on Broadkill Beach to reestablish the beach environment, create a dune system to protect the community and establish habitat for horseshoe crabs and endangered bird and turtle populations. Presuming reasonable bids are received, the contract will begin in early September 2013 and extend thru Jan. 31, 2014. The completion of this contract will mean approximately 70% of the modified channel will have been completed.