The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District has awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company to complete periodic nourishment of the Cape May Inlet to Lower Township (Cape May City) Coastal Storm Risk Management project.
The $7.6 million 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 240,000 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:
The sand is then built into the engineered template, which is designed to reduce damages from coastal storm events.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company is expected to begin dredging and beachfill operations in the fall of 2019.
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.