UP NEXT: As the island’s active summer season winds down, a schedule is being drawn up for dredging sand to be pumped to approved beaches in three towns. (File photo by Jack Reynolds)

An Illinois-based company with a long history of beach replenishment projects on Long Beach Island was awarded a $54.4 million contract to regularly replenish Long Beach Island’s shoreline earlier this year.

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. will begin work this fall or winter, the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday. Beach replenishment is expected to take about 180 days.

“The contract calls for the dredging of more than 1,750,000 million cubic yards of sand from the approved offshore sand mining area,” the Army Corps said. “The sand will be pumped onto the beach at some of the project’s most eroded sites in Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars and Long Beach Township.”

From there, the sand is formed into man-made dunes and berms, which the Corps says will reduce damage from storms on the coast.

“The contract also includes options for placing additional sand in other areas. Dune crossings/access paths, fencing, dune grass plantings and other elements will be installed/repaired under the contract,” the Corps said.

The project is a joint effort between the Philadelphia District of the Army Corps, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and the communities on Long Beach Island. The goal of the work is to preserve the dune and berm system in the communities and reduce the risk of storm damage to coastal infrastructure.

In February 2023, the Ocean County Board of Commissioners announced it was willing to cover the entire local share. Local costs will be split between the county and local municipalities. The state will also contribute to the total cost. When the commissioners announced their financial commitment, the cost of the work was estimated at about $49 million.

Great Lakes, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, has been conducting regular beach replenishment work on the island since before Superstorm Sandy.

Bids for the latest beach fill were received in May, and the Army Corps worked with Great Lakes on requirements for the project.

Earlier this month, the Corps said details of the project would not be released until the contract is awarded and the contractor is notified to begin work. This typically occurs within 30 days of the contract being awarded, at which time a schedule is developed and presented to the Corps.

The Barnegat Inlet to Little Egg Inlet Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, also known as the Long Beach Island Beach Replenishment Project, was developed and designed to “reduce the risk of loss of life and damage to property and infrastructure from wave action, erosion, flooding, and storm surge” associated with major storm events, according to the project’s purpose statement. —GGS