NORTH ATL ANTIC DIVISION

DESPITE COVID-19, USACE HITS 10-MILLION MILESTONE IN BOSTON HARBOR

USACE PHOTO BY BRIAN D. MURPHY

BY TIMOTHY J. DUGAN, New England District

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mid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reached a milestone in June 2020 of removing 10 million cubic yards of dredged material from the largest seaport in New England. Approximately 1 million cubic yards of ordinary and hard dredged material remain as part of Phase II of the three-phased Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project. Another 500,000 cubic yards of hard rock will be removed as part of the third and final project phase, a subsequent contract, which was advertised in October 2020, and the New England District started reviewing the bids in November. As a contractor performing work for the Department of Defense, the joint venture (JV) of Cashman Dredging and the Dutra Group (CDJV) performed this essential work on the harbor, the principal distributing point for regional commerce, under the Massachusetts’ governor’s

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Clamshell dredges remove dredged material during maintenance work in Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts.

stay-at-home advisory. The work was able to continue without delay despite the impacts the pandemic has had on the country. More than 87% of Boston Harbor commerce activity is the receiving and shipping of petroleum products. Principal commercial traffic consists of the importing of distillate petroleum products, residual fuel oil, sugar, limestone, and lumber; the receiving and shipping of other petroleum products; and the exporting of iron and steel scrap – and this commerce needed to continue despite the coronavirus. CDJV continues to work with enhanced safety precautions. “The contractor has performed exceptionally well in complying with contagious disease guidelines to include social isolation and social