USACE and its contractor Weeks Marine Inc. completed sand placement for the Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet (Northern Ocean County) Coastal Storm Risk Management Project in July 2019. Minor work on sand fencing, dune crossovers was completed at later dates and the final dune grass planting is currently ongoing.  This initial construction was funded entirely by the federal government through the 2013 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, (PL 113-2),  commonly known as the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill. The non-federal sponsor, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, is required to pay back their cost share of the initial construction over the next 30 years.  The project was turned over to the non-federal sponsor after the completion of initial construction for continuing Operations and Maintenance. The project is eligible for continued periodic nourishment.

The Fiscal Year 2022 Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) has provided $30.2 million to initiate and complete periodic nourishment. USACE is currently working through a contractual process to negotiate with bidders and hopes to be able to award a contract for dune and beachfill work.  

The Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet project area is an approximately 14-mile long barrier spit located in northern Ocean County, New Jersey.  The area has historically suffered damages from coastal storms, hurricanes and nor'easters, and suffered devastating damage from Hurricane Sandy throughout the entire project reach.  The Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet Coastal Storm Risk Management project, also known as the "Northern Ocean County" project, is designed to reduce the risk of loss of lives and damages to property and infrastructure from the waves, erosion, high tides and surges associated with these storm events.  The project provides flood and coastal storm risk management along the Northern Ocean County shoreline, which includes the municipalities of Point Pleasant Beach; Bay Head; Mantoloking; Brick Township; Toms River Township; Lavallette; Seaside Heights; Seaside Park; and Berkeley Township. 

The project Features include a beachfill with a dune crest width of 25 feet at elevation +22 feet above the North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD 88), and a berm width of 75 ft. at elevation +8.5 ft. NAVD88  within Bay Head, Mantoloking, Brick Township, Toms River Township, Lavallette, Seaside Park, Berkeley Township, and part of Point Pleasant Beach; and a dune crest width of 25 feet at elevation +18 feet above NAVD88, and a berm width of 100 ft. at elevation +8.5 ft. NAVD88  within Seaside Heights. In northern Point Pleasant Beach, the dune crest elevation is +18 above NAVD88 with a 100 ft. wide berm at elevation +11.5 NAVD. The project included the construction of various types of dune crossovers, sand fencing, and the planting of multiple species of native dune grasses. Periodic nourishment is authorized on a 4 year cycle.  The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) serves as the non-federal cost sharing sponsor for this project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed the New Jersey Shore Protection, Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet Feasibility Report and Integrated Environmental Impact Statement in June 2002, which defined the project that maximized the National Economic Development benefits for reduced risk of coastal storm damage. The feasibility study investigated flood and coastal storm damage effects between the two inlets. The study involved extensive engineering, environmental, and economic analyses and recommended the construction of a dune and berm system with the intent of reducing impacts from coastal erosion and storms.  The Report of the Chief of Engineers was released in December 2003 and Congress authorized construction of the project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.  As a consequence of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, Congress passed Public Law 113-2, the “Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013,” which authorized supplemental appropriations to USACE to complete the initial construction of the project,  A Project Partnership Agreement was executed in July 2014 between the non-federal Sponsor, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of the Army represented by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.