The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District recently awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) for $23.8 million to complete periodic nourishment of the Absecon Island Coastal Storm Risk Management project in Atlantic County, N.J.
The contract calls for placing approximately two million cubic yards of sand onto the beach in Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate City, and the borough of Longport.
Sand will be dredged from two designated borrow areas – one located within Absecon Inlet and the other in the Atlantic Ocean offshore of the island. The sand is then pumped onto the beach, and graded into an engineered template, which is designed to reduce damages from coastal storm events.
“Most of the work involves widening the beach; however in some areas, dunes, beach access paths/crossovers, and sand fencing will be repaired. Dune grass will be planted in areas that undergo repairs. There are also contract options to place additional sand and these options could be exercised depending on surveys and the condition of the beaches. The cost of the base contract and all of the contract options is $30.69 million,” said USACE.
The project is a joint effort of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the municipalities.
The beachfill project was initially constructed in 2004 in Atlantic City and Ventnor City. Initial construction of the beachfill portion of the project in Margate City and the Borough of Longport was completed in 2018.