VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Army Corps of Engineers dredged the Rudee Inlet federal navigation channel June 17-20, 2013 as routine maintenance from shoaling. The Corps’ side cast dredge Merritt, based out of Wilmington, N.C., dredged about 20,000 cubic yards of material, placed north of the entrance channel and inlet jetties. The $78,000 project was 72 percent federally funded. Virginia Beach funded the remaining 28 percent. Rudee Inlet is designated as a critical harbor of refuge and is located on the Atlantic Ocean side in Virginia Beach. The project provides access to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean for commercial fishing vessels, charter fishing boats, head boats and a wide range of private recreational vessels.