Army Corps’ contractor updates schedule for LBI construction

PHILADELPHIA  – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District announced an update to the construction schedule for the Long Beach Island Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project, a joint effort between the Army Corps and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, the Corps’ contractor, will begin dredging and beachfill operations in late-April in the borough of Ship Bottom. 

Work was initially expected to begin in southern Long Beach Township, but Great Lakes modified the schedule based on equipment availability and operational considerations. Great Lakes plans to mobilize two dredges, the Padre Island and the Dodge Island, to commence beachfill operations.

Schedule Details:  

• Great Lakes will begin dredging and beachfill operations within the borough of Ship Bottom in late April. Pipe landings will be made at 8^th Street and 23^rd Street. From each landing site, construction will first progress north and then flip and progress south. Beachfill operations are expected to last 35 days within the borough of Ship Bottom.
• Great Lakes will then move to southern Long Beach Township and begin dredging and beachfill operations and progress south to the end of the project in Holgate. Five pipe landing sites will be necessary for this section of the project.
• A third dredge, the Liberty Island, is scheduled to mobilize to the project site in August 2015 and begin operations in one of the remaining sections of the project.
• Crews will close no more than 1000 feet of beach as work progresses along the island (closed sections are “rolling” and advance as the beachfill progresses along the island). Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company anticipates construction to progress approximately 100 feet per day.
•  All work under the base contract is required to be complete by April 12th, 2016. There are currently options on the contract for additional work that could add additional time to the contract completion date if awarded. Further, weather and or mechanical delays may cause a change in the construction schedule and completion date.
• The Army Corps will post frequent updates to the construction schedule on its website: http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/lbi

Project Background

On December 5, 2014 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract to the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, (Great Lakes), for $128 million to complete initial construction of the Long Beach Island project. This project is a joint effort of the Army Corps and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 

The work will involve dredging over eight million cubic yards of sand from an approved borrow area approximately three miles offshore of Long Beach Island. The sand will be pumped through a series of pipes onto the beaches within the municipalities of Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven and a small section of Surf City over for a combined project construction length of 12.2 miles. The sand is then built into a dune and berm system designed to reduce potential damages to infrastructure, businesses, and homes that can occur from coastal storm events.  In addition, the contract includes the construction of dune crossovers, placement of sand fencing, and dune grass plantings.

The Long Beach Island Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project was only partially completed when Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey shore. The Army Corps completed the initial construction of the project at Surf City in 2006; Harvey Cedars in 2010; and Brant Beach between 31st and 57th Streets in Long Beach Township in 2012. The Army Corps repaired beaches in Surf City and Harvey Cedars in 2012 after Hurricane Irene, and fully restored the beaches within all three communities after Hurricane Sandy in 2013. The restoration and repair work was funded 100 percent through the Army Corps’ Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies program.  The current contract will complete the initial construction of the dune and berm system on Long Beach Island.

The current construction is funded entirely by the federal government through the 2013 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (PL113-2), commonly known as the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill. Following the completion of initial construction, the project is eligible for continued periodic nourishment.