The maintenance and advance maintenance dredging of the Cape Cod Canal and the sand placement onto Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Massachusetts is now complete.
Approximately 130,000 cubic yards of sand was dredged from six areas in the authorized, 32-foot-deep by 500-foot-wide main ship channel and the 25-foot deep East Mooring Basin portions of the Canal.
“ Shoaling in the main ship channel consists of large wave formations ,” said Project Manager Bill Kavanaugh . “ These formations cause draft restrictions, tidal delays and hazardous conditions for deep-draft commercial vessels transiting the canal.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District’s contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC of Oak Brook, Illinois, used the Dodge Island, a hydraulic hopper dredge with pump out capability and ancillary equipment necessary for direct beach placement of the dredged material. The contractor pumped the material directly on the 2,500-foot-long eroded section of Town Neck Beach.
Originally scheduled to take 2-3 months to complete, the entire dredging and sand placement only took two and a half weeks. In addition to adding sand to the beach, New England District and its contractor are also going to add dune grass plantings.
“ Great Lakes has the planting on the schedule to begin late January and going into February ,” said Kavanaugh. “ It should take a month to complete, but that is very dependent on weather conditions. Work must be completed by the end of March. ”
The sand was placed just prior to Winter Storm Jonas hitting the Cape on January 23. Early indications are that the sand held well during the storm.
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