Dredge project for Knik Arm shoal to start up again

ANCHORAGE (AP) -- A project to dredge a channel through Knik Arm shoal in upper Cook Inlet is to start up again on Friday.

The $8.7 million project was begun last year to widen and deepen the shipping channel so that deep draft vessels can cross the shoal without waiting for high tide. As is, container ships sometimes wait four to six hours for the tide to rise.

The Army Corps of Engineers is working with Manson Construction, a marine construction company, to remove 2.6 million metric tons of material. When it is completed, the shipping channel will measure 1,017 feet wide, 38 feet deep, and 6,500 feet long.

The dredge material will be disposed of in deep water near Fire Island, a few miles offshore. The project is expected to be completed this summer.