Port of Long Beach (-)76 MLLW Main Channel Dredging

The Port of Long Beach (POLB), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), recently completed one of the deepest main channel projects in the USA. Multiple jurisdictions were involved, including the USACE, Port of Long Beach, and City of Long Beach. Dredge and fill requirements had to be balanced between maintenance of channels/berths, cleanup of contaminated sediments, channel expansion, and long-term fill integrity. Over 1.2 million cubic yards of sediments, including contaminated sediments, were dredged from five dredge sites from four individual projects to fill an active shipping slip. Project coordination was critical to avoid hampering the main shipping channels. The $40M project provides additional navigation safety for super tankers drawing up to (-)69-feet to call on the Port's oil terminals. At least five dredge sites from four individual projects with different material properties, uses, and availability had to be characterized and managed. Material placement was orchestrated at the Pier G North Slip Fill site to minimize long-term consolidation and resulting impacts to the proposed 12-acre development. Some of the dredge material sites included contaminated sediments that required special testing, handling, and permitting. This paper will address: ≤ Project funding, including use of federal funds through the USACE. ≤ Contracting mechanisms used between agencies and construction contracting. ≤ Approach to dredging individual areas, including equipment and environmental requirements.