CONCORD, Mass. – A new contractor has been selected to dredge the remaining sandy shoal material in the Menemsha Creek Federal navigation project (FNP) in Aquinnah and Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District terminated the prior dredging company in March 2017 after it did not complete all work last season. 

On June 7, 2017, the District signed a take-over agreement with the project’s bonding company, U.S. Specialty Insurance Company, of Houston, Texas, to hire a new firm to complete the remaining dredging, and repair those items which were damaged by the previous contractor. The selected dredging firm, H & L Dredging, of Bay Shores, New York, has successfully completed other hydraulic dredging projects of similar size and complexity for the New England District.

Mobilization of equipment is expected to begin in mid-September 2017 and dredging is scheduled to start on or about Oct. 1, 2017 and take about 4-5 weeks to complete.

“The remaining effort to complete the project consists of hydraulically dredging up to approximately 39,000 cubic yards of sandy material in the Federal channel connecting Vineyard Sound to Menemsha Pond,” said Project Manager Craig Martin, of the Corps’ New England District, Programs/Project Management Division in Concord, Mass. The sandy dredge material will be pumped via pipeline about 1.5 miles west along Lobsterville Beach to the placement site near an area of erosion adjacent to State Road in Aquinnah.

Dredging and disposal will be performed between Oct. 1 and Jan. 15 to minimize impact to natural resources in the area. The project will be managed by the Corps under the supervision of a Corps’ Quality Assurance Representative to assure compliance with contract requirements. The Menemsha Creek Federal navigation project is located on the northwestern end of Martha’s Vineyard, about 12 miles southwest of Falmouth, Mass. 

For details on the Menemsha Creek Federal navigation project visit:

www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Navigation/Massachusetts/Menemsha.aspx. A map is available at: www.nae.usace.army.mil/Portals/74/docs/Navigation/MA/MEN/MENmap.pdf.