Wills Hole emergency dredging wraps up

New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Office of Maritime Resources has completed the emergency dredging of Wills Hole Thorofare Channel in Manasquan.

From April 21 to May 6, 38,000 cubic yards of sand was placed on the Fisherman’s Cove Beach, extending the footprint for the 2026 summer season and alleviating critical shoals allowing safe navigation for NJ’s commercial fishing industry.

The project restored the channel to an authorized depth of 13 feet to 14 feet below mean low water to alleviate major shoaling that has occurred in the waterway.

All material removed from the channel was transported via pipeline and placed onto Fisherman’s Cove Beach in Manasquan Borough, Monmouth County, as beach fill.

The project was completed by NJDOT’s contractor, H&L Construction LLC.