Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will begin around-the-clock dredging operations in the Hudson River today and will continue dredging over the next three months as part of the New NY Bridge Project.
To avoid impacting migration and spawning patterns of local sturgeon populations and other fish species, dredging is only allowed during a three-month period from August 1 through November 1 each year, as needed during the duration of the project. The operation is conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to complete the required dredging in this short window, as approved in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Equipment associated with the operation is arriving on site. Approximately one dozen barges and other specially designed dredging vessels will be part of the operation.
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including a request that boaters use extreme caution within 1,000 feet of all construction barges as a safety precaution.
The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found the project website, www.NewNYBridge.com
Crews will work throughout the day and night, starting from the farthest point off shore in the dredging footprint and moving towards the shoreline on both the Rockland and Westchester County sides of the bridge. The Hudson’s shallow waters in the area of the crossing make building the new bridge more challenging. Dredging the area will increase the water depth in the work zone by removing the sediment from the river bottom.
TZC will use specially designed environmental clam shell buckets to perform the work. These buckets release less sediment into the river than conventional equipment, which further protects local aquatic resources.
Environmental scientists will monitor water quality for each dredging operation with a sophisticated system that identifies increased turbidity. Observers approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service will be stationed at each dredging operation to monitor for any possible sturgeon interaction.
The dredged materials, which were previously tested for the New York State Thruway Authority, will be processed and properly disposed at approved offsite locations.
