Dredging to begin in Ocean City inlet

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge is on its way to the Ocean City Inlet to scoop out excess sand over the coming weekend, officials say.

The Currituck is set to arrive Friday. The dredging will focus on the navigation channel, with a goal of removing roughly 5,000 cubic yards of material.

The dredge work is aimed at improving navigation, particularly at trouble spots such as between buoys 11 and 12 as well as near the Coast Guard station and seawall between buoys 8 and 10, according to an Army Corps statement.

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The work is separate from scheduled sand removal scheduled for later month. The dredge Murden is set to remove material from in and around the channel, with an emphasis on the ebb and flood shoals in which sand is traditionally trapped while naturally moving south toward Assateague Island.

That work is expected to take about 30 days.