The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Philadelphia District shared an update regarding periodic nourishment of the Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Townsends Inlet dune and beachfill project. USACE has awarded a $21.6 million contract to Norfolk Dredging Company of Chesapeake, VA for dune and beachfill work in Sea Isle City and Upper Township (Strathmere), N.J. The contract calls for dredging, pumping and placing approximately 1.86 million cubic yards of sand from two borrow areas (one is located off Corsons Inlet, and the other is located about three miles offshore of Sea Isle City). The sand will be pumped onto the beach at the following locations:

• 479,000 cubic yards of sand from between 29th/30th Streets to between 54th/55th Streets (approximately 6,771 feet) in Sea Isle City. The primary pipe landing will be made near 44th Street. Work will proceed south first toward 29th/30th Streets. And then will flip direction at 44th Street and proceed north toward 54th/55th Streets. Work is expected to begin on June 1st and be completed in late June.  
• 1,381,000 cubic yards of sand from north of Seaview Ave stretching to Landis/Commonwealth intersection (approximately 5,168 feet) in the Strathmere section of Upper Township. The primary pipe landing will be made near Williams Avenue. Work will first proceed north first toward Seaview Ave and then will flip direction and proceed south. Work is expected to begin in late June.  

The sand is then graded into an engineered dune and berm template, which is designed to maintain the dune and berm system and reduce damage from coastal storms. Dune crossovers/access paths, fencing, and other features will be installed/repaired as part of the contract.

• This webpage will be updated multiple times per week after Norfolk Dredging Company mobilizes equipment to the project. 

The Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Townsends Inlet 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). On November 10, 2014, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $57.6-million contract to the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company to complete the coastal storm damage reduction project 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 initial construction project was completed in the spring of 2016. The project is eligible for periodic nourishment (on a 5-year cycle) pending adequate funding. In April 2026, USACE awarded a contract to Norfolk Dredging Company to complete periodic nourishment of the project. 

Work in the southern end of Ocean City, from 34th Street to Corson's Inlet State Park, includes a federally constructed dune at elevation +12.8, 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 federally constructed dune is built to elevation +14.8 and the berm is 50 feet wide.