Posted on July 15, 2022
NEW YORK — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New York District, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announces the first contract award for the Union Beach Coastal Storm Risk Reduction Project.
The first contract, which represents phase 1 of this coastal storm risk reduction project, was awarded to Weeks Marine, Cranford, N.J. in the amount of $50,035,435. The project will include construction of a beach berm with planted dunes, pedestrian, and vehicle cross overs, as well as two terminal groins. The project occupies approximately 1.8 square miles along the coast of Raritan Bay in the northern portion of Monmouth County, New Jersey.
“I’m glad to see this critical project that will ensure greater protection from coastal storms for homes and businesses in Union Beach,” said Sen. Robert Menendez. “We know how severely impacted this community was during Hurricane Sandy and this is why I fought hard to secure disaster assistance funding for our communities. Our coastal communities are vulnerable to storm surges and the impacts of climate change, and I will continue to fight for federal funding so that USACE and local communities have the necessary resources to invest in long term flood mitigation and prevention projects.”
“This Army Corps flood control project has been years in the making and this federal funding represents a major victory for the people of Union Beach and for the state of New Jersey,” said Sen. Corey Booker. “We’ve already seen how climate change has made storms like Superstorm Sandy increasingly common in our state, posing an urgent threat to our coastal communities. I was proud to join fellow members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation in securing the funds to help protect residents’ lives and property from future flooding events.”
“I’m happy to see that the Union Beach flood control project is set to begin this year. Coastal states like New Jersey are on the frontlines of rising sea levels and stronger storms due to climate change,” said Congressman Frank Pallone. “I fought to include funding for this project so we can protect homes and businesses from future disasters. With this funding, the Army Corps will replenish beaches with a dune, build pedestrian crossovers, and repair existing decking that will help protect residents from future storm damage and flooding events. I’m going to continue to make sure coastal communities in my district have the resources they need.”
“I couldn’t be happier to make this announcement because it’s a milestone we’ve all worked extremely hard to achieve,” said COL Matthew Luzzatto, commander, New York District. “The effects of Hurricane Sandy were widespread and still being felt to this day so implementing a project of this magnitude gives us another chance to increase resiliency and provide additional flood risk reduction measures for the residents of this community. I’d like to thank all of our partners at the federal, state, and local levels for their tremendous support. We look forward to continuing to work together now and in the future to provide solutions for the most complex engineering challenges both in our region and across the Nation.”
“The Murphy Administration is pleased to partner with both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Union Beach on this critical infrastructure project that will help protect the Union Beach community from the worsening effects of climate change,” said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “This particular area of the shore region has long been susceptible to nuisance flooding and major storm events, which is why we must undertake these kinds of improvements to protect lives and property as well as improve quality of life for residents.”
Residential and commercial structures in the area have experienced multiple occurrences of flooding caused by coastal storm inundation. This problem has progressively worsened in recent years due to loss of protective beaches and increased urbanization in the area with structures susceptible to flooding from rainfall and coastal storm surges, erosion, and wave attack, combined with restrictions to channel flow in the tidal creeks. Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2022.
