Field Placement and Evaluation of Stabilized Dredged Material (SDM) from the New York/New Jersey Harbor

TLDR

Since the 1997 ban on ocean dumping, New York and New Jersey have pursued environmentally sound solutions, including the beneficial use of stabilized dredged material (SDM) in transportation projects. This article evaluates the constructability and performance of SDM used in highway embankments. A 1998 pilot study used 80,000 cubic yards of SDM to build two embankments on a commercial development adjacent to the Harbor, assessing geotechnical properties during construction and one year later. SDM meets most geotechnical fill criteria but fails durability tests, requiring protective coverage, which limits long‑term stockpiling and restricts use to projects aligned with dredging schedules; costs can be up to $8 per cubic yard higher than conventional fills but may be offset by management fees. Keywords include beneficial use, contaminated sediments, dredged material, and embankments; the project was funded by the NJ Department of Transportation, Office of Maritime Resources, through a Port Authority of NY and NJ grant.

Abstract

Abstract Since the 1997 local ban on ocean dumping of dredged sediments, the States of New York and New Jersey have pursued a policy of environmentally sound solutions to the management of dredged material, including beneficial use of stabilized dredged material (SDM) in transportation applications. A pilot study was initiated in 1998 to evaluate the use of SDM in the construction of highway embankments. Utilizing 80,000 cubic yards of dredged material, two embankments were constructed from SDM on a commercial development area adjacent to the Harbor. Geotechnical properties and handling of SDM were evaluated both during and one year post − construction. This article presents the evaluation of the embankments themselves, including constructability and performance. The results demonstrate that SDM satisfies most of the geotechnical criteria for fill construction, except those for durability, requiring proper coverage and protection similar to that provided for fills constructed on cohesive soils. This same characteristic precludes long term stockpiling of SDM prior to final placement, limiting applications to those that have schedules overlapping with dredging projects. Increased costs for the use of SDM can be as high as $8 per cubic yard over traditional fills; however, this cost may be recouped through management fees collected from dredging projects. Keywords: beneficial usecontaminated sedimentsdredged materialembankments Acknowledgments This project was funded by the NJ Department of Transportation, Office of Maritime Resources via a grant from the Port Authority of NY and NJ.