Calling it a “sedimental” journey, the state Department of Transportation has announced a project to improve 127 miles of coastline through regional sediment management in the back bays. The DOT announcement called keeping the coastline healthy a “delicate balancing act.”

The agency is embarking on a project that involves partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and university and nonprofit partners to create the new Regional Sediment Management Framework for the back bays. The Management Framework will help prioritize and plan for managing sediment in ways that keep it in coastal ecosystems when appropriate along 127 miles of shoreline.

The program matches the need to keep maritime transportation channels open with the equally important task of helping sinking wetlands rebuild resiliency so they can continue to serve as a natural barrier to sea level rise. The project aims to keep dredge sediment in the estuarine system as much as possible in order to restore, enhance and protect habitats.

Goals include rebuilding critical marshlands, protecting nearby communities, reducing the cost of dredging navigation channels by eliminating movement of much of the material offsite, and preserving environments for several coastal wildlife species.

Genevieve Clifton, DOT’s director of maritime resources, said the partnership will maximize the beneficial use of dredge material in order “to protect vast areas of New Jersey’s coastline.”

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.