Update On Manasquan Beach Erosion Project

MANASQUAN – The US Army Corps of Engineers has provided an update on the beach erosion control project that is supposed to provide protection of the Manasquan shoreline.

The project also is intended to protect the highly populated communities and infrastructure located along this area of the New Jersey shoreline.

Here's what you should know:

• This project has been in the periodic renourishment phase since original completion.
• The initial construction of this project was initiated in 1994 and completed in 2001 (with the exception of Elberon, Deal, Allenhurst, and Loch Arbour).
• Federal funding has been available for several renourishment contracts.
• After Hurricane Sandy, the beaches in the project area lost roughly 5 million cubic yards of sand.
• The Corps of Engineers has repaired and restored this project after Hurricane Sandy through the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies Act and the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.
• The work entailed replacing the sand lost during the storm as well as restoring the project to its original design profile.
• This effort was completed through four contracts and involved the placement of more than 8 million cubic yards of sand. This repair and restore effort was 100 percent federally funded and completed in the Summer of 2014.
• The initial construction of the beach project in Elberon, Deal, Allenhurst, and Loch Arbour was completed in December 2016 at 100 percent federal cost.
• Remaining outfall pipe extension work was completed in October 2018.
• A contract was awarded in December 2019 for the ongoing renourishment cycle, providing 1.6 million cubic yards in sections of Long Branch, Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright.
• Options for an additional 1.1 million cubic yards were added to the contract in fiscal year 2020 and is scheduled for completion in March 2021.
• Additional renourishment contracts will be awarded when federal and non-federal funding is available for the remaining duration of the authorization.

The project includes periodic nourishment of the restored beaches on a 6-year cycle for a period of 50 years from the start of initial construction.

The project area is divided into two sections: Section I - which extends for 12 miles from Sea Bright to Ocean Township, and Section II - which includes the 9 miles from Asbury Park south to the Manasquan Inlet.