Corps of Engineers Works to Restore Coastline to Post-Sandy Condition and Better
The Liberty Island Dodge Island Padre Island and Terrapin Island of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company transit offshore to dredge sand and pump it onto Long Beach Island New Jersey in June. The work is part of a larger effort by the Corps of Engineers to restore its coastal storm risk management projects.
Hurricane Sandy slammed the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions on Oct. 29 2012. The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 was signed into law three months later on Jan. 29 giving the Corps of Engineers $5.35 billion for rebuilding. In March assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy told Congress that the legislation provides funds to address damages caused by Hurricane Sandy and to reduce future flood risk and economic costs by supporting the long-term sustainability of the coastal ecosystem and its communities.
“In some or many cases the restoration of an existing Corps project to its original design profile may not meet these interrelated objectives and a fundamentally different approach may be more suitable” Darcy said.
In a written testimony Darcy said the effects of sequestration will be greatest in the operation and maintenance account – felt in the closing of recreation areas and some deferred maintenance work including navigation channel dredging and equipment maintenance.
In spite of the sequestration many Hurricane Sandy restoration projects continue. Of the $5.35 billion total Darcy said about $3.46 billion is for construction $1 billion for flood control and coastal emergencies and $821 million for operation and maintenance. The North Atlantic Division received $4.5 billion for Hurricane Sandy projects.
The Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District conducted a fl yover October 31 2012 to assess damage along the New Jersey coast. Seen here is Absecon Inlet.
Near-term Coastal Restoration
Much of the dredging in the North Atlantic Division will be for near-term coastal restoration projects 24 total more than 26 million cubic yards of sand. This work funded through Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies appropriations will restore previously constructed Corps projects that were severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The Corps is moving forward to restore much of the coastline with projects that include sand placement — in New Jersey 16.56 million cubic yards; New York 7.77 million cubic yards; Delaware 1.85 million cubic yards; Maryland; 850000 cubic yards; Connecticut 99000 cubic yards; Virginia 325000 cubic yards. As some contracts have yet to be awarded the exact costs are not available but the entire coastal restoration effort is expected to total more than $600 million and to be 100 percent federally funded.
The following list includes awarded contracts (some contracts include more than one project and some projects include several contracts); the project location; project description; dredging contractor; award amount; and project status.
Philadelphia District Long Beach Island New Jersey
Location: the Atlantic coast of New Jersey extending approximately 20 miles from Barnegat Inlet to Little Egg Inlet
Project: a beachfi ll and dune along the oceanfront of Long Beach Island
Contractor: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC
Amount: $30602732.50
Status: contract awarded April 2013; work is ongoing.
During construction in March 2013 at the Brigantine Island beachfill the Corps pumped 67000 cubic yards of sand. Work was completed the following month.
Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet Absecon Island New Jersey
Location: 8.1 miles along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey from Absecon Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet
Project: beachfi ll with a 200-foot wide berm and a dune to a +14.75-foot elevation for Atlantic City and a 100-foot wide berm and a dune to 12.75-foot elevation for Ventnor Margate and Longport; 0.3 miles of bulkhead construction along the Absecon Inlet frontage of Atlantic City
Contractor: Weeks Marine Inc.
Amount: $17334260
Status: contract awarded April 2013; work is ongoing.
Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet Brigantine Island
Location: 6.5 miles along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey from Brigantine Inlet to Absecon Inlet
Project: berm and dune restoration along approximately 1.8 miles of coastline fronting the northern third of the city
Contractor: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC
Amount: two contracts combined $28900000
Status: completed in February.
The hopper dredge BE Lindholm is anchored off the coast of Sandbridge Virginia dredging two million cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor. Dozers move that dredged sand to expand and build up the beach front.
Townsends Inlet to Cape May Inlet New Jersey
Location: 12-mile portion of the New Jersey Coastline from Townsends Inlet to Cape May Inlet
Project: 4.3 miles of beachfill with a berm width of 150-feet and a dune crest at +14.75 feet; 2.2 miles of seawall construction along the Townsends Inlet frontage of Avalon and the Hereford Inlet frontage of North Wildwood; ecosystem restoration of approximately 116 acres of natural barrier island habitat at Stone Harbor Point. including beachfill and dune construction.
Contractor: Norfolk Dredging Company
Amount: $2772800
Status: Work completed at Avalon; completion at Stone Harbor in July 2013.
Cape May Inlet to Lower Township
Location: on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey extending from the southwest jetty of Cape May Inlet to 3rd Ave. in Cape May City Project: initial beachfill (25 to 180-foot wide berm at +8-foot elevation) extension of 17 stormwater outfalls reconstruction of seven groins and construction of two new groins and a shoreline monitoring program for the project area.
Contractor: Weeks Marine Inc.
Amount: $9500150
Status: Award April 2013; construction to begin August 2013.
Delaware Coast from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island Rehoboth Beach/Dewey Beach Delaware
Location: on the Atlantic coast of Delaware just north of the Delaware Seashore State Park
Project: one continuous project from the northern end of Rehoboth Beach to the southern border of Dewey Beach a distance of 13500 linear feet including a 125-foot wide berm at +7.2-foot elevation and a dune at +13.2-foot elevation; at Dewey Beach a 150-foot wide berm at +7.2-foot elevation and a dune at +13.2-foot elevation.
Contractor: Great Lake Dredge & Dock Co. LLC
Amount: $19352064
Status: contract awarded June 2013.
Delaware Coast Protection Sand Bypass Plant Indian River Inlet in Sussex County Delaware
Location: on the Atlantic Ocean at Indian River Inlet
Project: periodic nourishment of a feeder beach (approximately 100000 cubic yards of sand annually) to nourish approximately 3500 feet of feeder beach on the north side of the inlet and protect the Delaware Route 1 highway; authorized until September 2021.
Contractor: Manson Construction Company
Amount: $6589500
Status: contract awarded May 2013; Notice to Proceed (NTP) issues May 30 with 120 calendar days from NTP to complete.
New York District Sandy Hook at Barnegat in New Jersey
Location: 18 miles Atlantic coastline from Manasquan to Sea Bright
Project: Seabright Erosion control for the placement of 700000 cubic yards of sand with an option of an additional 400000 cubic yards to restore the Sea Bright to Monmouth Beach project to its initial fill profile for a grand total of 1.1 million cubic yards.
Contractor: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC
Amount: $25590800
Status: contract awarded June 19; contract awards expected this summer for final construction completion in early 2014.
Norfolk District Virginia Beach Hurricane Protection
Location: Virginia Beach oceanfront from 15th street to 70th street
Project: re-nourishment of the beach berm about 1.25 million cubic yards of sand to provide for a berm with a minimum elevation of 9.0 feet
Contractor: Weeks Marine Inc.
Amount: $13700000
Status: work completed June 2013.
Sandbridge Virginia Beach
Location: five miles of public beachfront from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the Dam Neck Naval facility
Project: dredging and placing approximately two million cubic yards of sand along public beachfront
Contractor: Weeks Marine Inc.
Amount: $13350000
Status: work completed June 2013.
Other near-term coastal restoration projects: in Connecticut Woodmont Beach West Haven and Prospect Beach West Haven; in New York Rockaway Beach Coney Island Gilgo Beach and Oakwood Beach; in New Jersey Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Peck Beach and Keansburg; in Maryland Atlantic Coast; in Delaware Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island Bethany Beach/ South Bethany and Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island Fenwick Island.
The operations and maintenance projects in the budget entail repairs to the navigation channels and structure – 82 total projects four of which have so far been awarded dredging contracts. The next issue of IDR will have details of those projects and continued coverage of new projects and ongoing project status.
SANDY RESTORATION: LONG BEACH ISLAND
Sand and water fill the hopper of the Liberty Island.
A Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB) surveys the surf area of Brant Beach New Jersey in June 2013 as part of the restoration project.
The dredge Liberty Island connects to “the cube” offshore of Harvey Cedars New Jersey. Sand is pumped from the hopper through the cube and submerged line and onto the beach.
