Posted on September 13, 2023
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Oak Brook, Ill. for $16.1 million to complete periodic nourishment of the Cape May Inlet to Lower Township (Cape May City) Coastal Storm Risk Management project. The project is a joint effort of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The contract calls for dredging approximately 517,000 cubic yards of sand from a borrow area approximately 2.6 miles south of the Cape May Inlet jetties. The sand will be pumped onto the beach at two locations:
- U.S. Coast Guard Training Center property south of the jetty (approximately 471,000 cubic yards of sand)
- Between Brooklyn Ave and north/east of Wilmington Ave., Cape May (approximately 46,000 cubic yards of sand)
The sand is then built into the engineered template, which is designed to reduce damages from coastal storm events. The contract also includes options to place additional sand if necessary. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company is expected to begin dredging and beachfill operations in fall of 2023. The federal government (Army Corps and U.S. Coast Guard) is funding approximately 90 percent of the costs and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is funding approximately 10 percent of the costs.
Project Background
The Cape May Inlet to Lower Township beachfill project is located on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey, extending from the southwest jetty of Cape May Inlet to 3rd Ave. in Cape May City. It includes the communities of the City of Cape May and Lower Township, and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center. The initial construction of a 25 to 180-foot wide berm at elevation +6.7 feet (NAVD 88) was completed in 1991. The project has been renourished in subsequent years. The project is a joint effort of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and is designed to reduce damages from coastal storm events.
