Project record

Ocean City Inlet 2026 bypass dredging and navigation programme

Official aerial view of Ocean City Inlet, its jetties, navigation channel and the Assateague shoreline

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District; official file image

MURDEN's May 2026 assignment covered approximately 15,000 cubic yards from two Ocean City Inlet shoaling areas. USACE planned to place the material south of the inlet, offshore Assateague Island, through the authorized split-hull bypass route.

Project signal

Construction in United States

Current status USACE scheduled MURDEN to work through May 2026; measured production and completion remain unpublished Source confidence Confirmed

Location

United States / Americas

Segment

Port infrastructure

Status

USACE scheduled MURDEN to work through May 2026; measured production and completion remain unpublished / Confirmed

Last checked

18 July 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Port infrastructure is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District
Delivery parties
USACE dredge MURDEN; no external dredging contractor identified for the May 2026 cycle
Contract route
Federal operations-and-maintenance work carried out with the USACE split-hull hopper dredge MURDEN. The reviewed May 2026 release gives no external contract award or contract value.
Execution window
USACE announced the cycle on 8 May 2026 and planned work through May. The actual start, finish and accepted quantity are not published.
Works package
Remove approximately 15,000 cubic yards from Priority Area 1 at the entrance to Sinapuxent Channel and a secondary oceanside shoaling area, then place the material south of the inlet offshore Assateague Island through the authorized split-hull bypass route
Marine interfaces
Shallow inlet navigation, recurring shoaling, hopper-dredger access, two excavation areas, split-hull placement offshore Assateague Island and coordination with an authorized channel maintained to 10 feet plus two feet of allowable overdepth when funding permits
Commercial evidence boundary
This is a recurring public-plant maintenance cycle rather than a newly awarded contractor package. The recurring market requirement is to connect navigation dredging with a sediment-bypass destination and survey control. The 15,000 cubic yards is planned scope, not achieved production, and the broader realignment concept has no award or construction start.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

USACE published the May dredging and bypass plan

Baltimore District identified approximately 15,000 cubic yards across two shoaling areas, assigned MURDEN and named the authorized offshore Assateague placement route. The release is a work plan and does not publish measured production or completion.

Source

The preceding MURDEN cycle removed nearly 13,000 cubic yards

The May 2026 release reports the result of the previous November operation. That measured quantity belongs to the prior cycle and should not be carried forward as 2026 production.

Source

The draft long-term navigation study completed public review

The programme page records a draft channel realignment and structural concept. The draft has not advanced to a funded award, final construction package or completed works.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • MURDEN mobilisation and dated field evidence for the May 2026 cycle
  • Measured excavation against the approximately 15,000-cubic-yard plan
  • Production from Priority Area 1 and the secondary oceanside shoaling area
  • Documented split-hull placement south of the inlet offshore Assateague Island
  • Post-dredge hydrography across the authorized 10-foot channel and allowable overdepth
  • USACE completion and acceptance of the May cycle
  • Any funded decision on the separate long-term channel realignment and structural proposal

Related records 2

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 18 July 2026 across 6 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 18 July 2026 Cited sources 6

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 6