In December 2024, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District awarded Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Co., Quincy, Mass., a $25 million contract for maintenance dredging in the Jacksonville Harbor federal navigation channel. According to a USACE statement, the work is scheduled to begin in mid-March 2025, though as of March 13, it is unclear if dredging has commenced. Completion is expected by late September 2025, pending weather conditions, USACE said.
The project includes maintenance dredging in various sections of the channel to remove critical shoaling and ensure continued navigability for deep-draft vessels. The contract is structured with a base element and four options. The base element covers dredging in portions of Cut-17 through Cut-42. Option A extends from Cut-42 through Cut-45, Option B covers Cut-45 through Cut-55, Option C includes Cut-55 through the Lower Terminal channel, and Option D addresses dredging in Cuts F and G of the West Blount Island channel.
Material from the base and Option A will be placed in the ocean dredge material disposal site, while material from Options B, C, and D will be deposited at the Bartram Island dredge material management area Cell A.
The Jacksonville Harbor navigation project supports vessel access to terminal facilities within Jacksonville, Fla., in coordination with non-federal sponsor, the Jacksonville Port Authority. The project maintains the authorized channel depth of 47' mean lower low water (MLLW) from the ocean entrance to Dames Point Terminals at River Mile 13, 40' MLLW through River Mile 20 at Talleyrand Marine Terminal, and 34' MLLW in Cuts F and G of the West Blount Island channel.
In addition to maintenance dredging, the Jacksonville District is deepening the federal channel along the St. Johns River from 40' to a maximum of 50' to accommodate larger vessels and improve navigational safety. Jacksonville Harbor is positioned as a strategic port due to its proximity to the Panama Canal and its access to intermodal connections including rail, highway, and water transport.
Cashman Dredging previously performed dredging work in the same area in 2019 under a subcontract with The Dutra Group. At that time, due to Dutra’s equipment constraints on another USACE project, Cashman conducted all substantive dredging operations. In the 2019 project, the Atchafalaya trailing suction hopper dredge removed 441,563 cubic yards of material from five distinct areas of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Fla.
WorkBoat reached out to Cashman for progress on the current Jacksonville project.
