PHILADELPHIA (March 6, 2015) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District announced a scheduling change for the initial construction of the Long Beach Island Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project.
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 initial schedule submitted by Great Lakes called for beachfill construction to begin in mid-August 2015; however, the updated project schedule submitted this week shows the first phase of the beachfill work is now expected to begin around April 15, 2015 within Long Beach Township and proceed towards Holgate at the southern end of the island.
The scheduling change was made by Great Lakes in part due to dredging equipment availability. Great Lakes plans to initially mobilize two dredges, the Padre Island and the Dodge Island, to commence the beachfill operations.
- The two dredges are expected to begin operations near 106th Street in Long Beach Township and progress south towards the end of the project in Holgate.
- People on the island should begin to see mobilization to the project area, including the delivery of the shoreline pipeline, in late March, with beachfill work commencing on or about April 15th near 106th street in Long Beach Township.
- A third dredge, The Liberty Island, is scheduled to mobilize to the project site in August 2015 and begin operations at the northern end of the project within the Loveladies section of Long Beach Township, work southward towards Ship Bottom, and complete beachfill construction near 106th street in Long Beach Township by April 12, 2016.
- 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 updates to the construction schedule on its website.
Typically, crews will close 1000-foot sections of the beach as work progresses along the island. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company anticipates construction to progress approximately 100 feet per day.
The work will involve dredging more than 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 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 (PL 113-2), commonly known as the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill. Following the completion of initial construction, the project is eligible for continued periodic nourishment.