New Jersey Shore Protection, Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet, Absecon Island

Absecon Island Coastal Storm Risk Management

USACE Philadelphia District
Published Feb. 7, 2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District and the NJDEP completed the first renourishment of the Absecon Island coastal storm damage reduction project in the summer of 2012. The project is designed to reduce storm damages to infrastructure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District and the NJDEP completed the first renourishment of the Absecon Island coastal storm damage reduction project in the summer of 2012. The project is designed to reduce storm damages to infrastructure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District and its contractor built two sections of a seawall and rebuilt portions of the Atlantic City boardwalk along the Absecon Inlet in Atlantic City, N.J. Work was completed in April of 2018 and is designed to reduce damages from coastal storms.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District and its contractor built two sections of a seawall and rebuilt portions of the Atlantic City boardwalk along the Absecon Inlet in Atlantic City, N.J. Work was completed in April of 2018 and is designed to reduce damages from coastal storms.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor J. Fletcher Creamer & Son completed the Absecon Inlet seawall and boardwalk project in April of 2018. Work involved building the seawall along two previously unprotected sections of the Atlantic City shoreline and rebuilding the historic boardwalk behind those two sections.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor J. Fletcher Creamer & Son completed the Absecon Inlet seawall and boardwalk project in April of 2018. Work involved building the seawall along two previously unprotected sections of the Atlantic City shoreline and rebuilding the historic boardwalk behind those two sections.

The Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet, Absecon Island project provides flood and coastal storm damage reduction along Absecon Island, NJ.

The Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet, Absecon Island project provides flood and coastal storm damage reduction along Absecon Island, NJ.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: NJ-2

APPROPRIATION / PHASE: Construction, General

BUSINESS PROGRAM: Flood and Coastal Storm Damage Reduction

AUTHORITY: This project was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996. 

LOCATION: Absecon Island extends approximately 8.1 miles along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey from Absecon Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Absecon Island project is designed to reduce storm damages to homes and infrastructure from the waves, high tides and storm surges associated with these events. The communities along the New Jersey shoreline have suffered significant storm damages from nor’easters and hurricanes and are at risk to suffer further damages from coastal storms. The project provides flood and coastal storm risk management along Absecon Island. The project includes beachfill, with a 200-foot-wide berm and a dune to elevation +14.75 feet for Atlantic City and a 100-foot wide berm and a dune to elevation 12.75 for Ventnor, Margate and Longport. The project also includes 0.3 miles of bulkhead construction along the Absecon Inlet frontage of Atlantic City. In 2019, USACE and its contractor completed construction of a stormwater management system in Margate, which includes 5 ocean outfall pipes and a lateral manifold system to collect and convey stormwater. 

The project remains eligible for continued periodic nourishment. 

The Fiscal Year 2024 Bilateral Infrastructure Law (BIL) included $25 million to initiate and complete the next nourishment cycle. A construction contract is scheduled to be awarded in the summer of 2024 with construction likely in fall/winter of 2025. 

Year

Amount of Sand

2004 (Initial Construction for Atlantic City & Ventnor)

4,950,000 cubic yards

2011 (Flood Control & Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) Funded)

1,100,000 cubic yards

2012 (Periodic Nourishment)

1,325,000 cubic yards

2013 (FCCE PL113-2 Hurricane Sandy)

1,300,000 cubic yards

2017-2018 (Initial construction Margate & Longport PL113-2 Hurricane Sandy and Periodic Nourishment Atlantic City/Ventnor)

3,493,599 cubic yards

2021 - Periodic Nourishment 1,200,000 cubic yards
Periodic Nourishment - Construction estimated in 2024-2025 TBD

 

SPONSOR: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

DATE OF PROJECT AGREEMENT: 31 Jul 2003 (PCA); and 23 June 2014 (PPA)

TARGET COMPLETION DATE: 2053

PROJECT MANAGER: Keith Watson