PHILADELPHIA (November 10, 2014) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $57.6-million contract to the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company for a coastal and storm damage reduction project extending from the southern end of Ocean City to Strathmere and Sea Isle.
The project, which entails the construction of a dune and a berm, or beach, in front of each community, is a joint effort of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The cost of initial construction will be shouldered by the federal government. Following the initial construction, the project will be renourished periodically over a span of 50 years under a 65/35, federal/state spending formula. The state in turn will partner with the municipalities, which will pick up 25 percent of the state’s share, or roughly 9 percent of the total cost.
Following receipt and review of performance bonds from the contractor, the Army Corps will issue a “notice to proceed,” after which the contractor will have 450 days to complete the project. When and where the contractor will begin work is not known at this time.
Work in the southern end of Ocean City, from 34th Street to Corson’s Inlet state Park, will involve construction of a dune approximately 13 feet above sea level, with a width at the top of 25 feet, and a berm or beach extending 100 feet from the seaward base of the dune.
On Ludlum Island, which includes Strathmere and Sea Isle, the dune will be about 15 feet high and the berm 50 feet wide.
The project was authorized in 2007 but did not receive funding until 2013 when Congress enacted the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-2, or often referred to as the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill).