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AROMA PARK – Kankakee County is set to finally launch the long-awaited dredging of the Kankakee River.
The much-anticipated work will begin at the Aroma Park boat ramp at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Potawatomi Park at 307 W. Front St.
Kankakee County Engineer Greg Heiden reported at Thursday’s Highways, Waterways and Building Committee meeting that the contractor, JS McCullough Excavating, of Coatesville, Indiana, is already setting up for the launch.
“The contractor has started mobilizing to the site,” Heiden said. “They put up some fence to keep the Looky-Lou’s away from the project location. The first thing they’re going to do is build a ramp into the river so they can get some of their equipment there.”
Heiden said the river’s water level is up slightly which might be slowing things down. He is hopeful the water level will decrease to aid with removing sand and sediment from the river’s bed.
Heiden called the 11 a.m. event a “ceremony” or a groundbreaking/ribbon-cutting for the dredging.
“Whatever you want to call it, we’ll be out there to celebrate the start of the project,” he said.
He is hopeful JS McCullough crews will be on hand to put on a mini-show as to what the dredging process entails.
Heiden was unsure if all the equipment will be onsite by Tuesday.
“There may not be a barge in the river, but there will be enough stuff there for us to get an idea what’s going on,” he said.
The entire project is being funded by $1 million secured from the state by state Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, back in 2022.
It is estimated 9,500 cubic yards of sand/sediment will be removed from the river at the Aroma Park boat ramp. McCullough Excavating’s bid was $712,650.
The main reason the sand will be removed in front of the boat launch is so first responders can get into the water quickly. It will also allow for recreational boating at that entry into the Kankakee River.
The dredging project, designed by Christopher Burke Engineering, of Indianapolis, Indiana, will build a channelized approach in between the existing island in the river and the current boat launch.
The contractor said in December the dredging will take at least three months to complete.