FORT HAMILTON, N.Y. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of placing more than 26 million cubic yards of sand along the coastline throughout the northeastern United States to repair and restore coastal storm risk reduction projects previously built by the corps that were severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The bulk of the sand, roughly 23 million cubic yards, will be placed in New York and New Jersey, but sand will also be used to restore previously constructed projects in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
The work, some of which has already started, will be accomplished through a number of contracts with sand being obtained from different sources, including navigation channels and offshore borrow areas. While exact costs for every contract are not available since not all have been awarded yet, the entire near-term coastal restoration effort is expected to total more than $600 million. This cost will be 100 percent federally funded.
“The primary purpose of coastal restoration projects is to reduce risk,” said Brig. Gen. Kent Savre, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division. “Strong interagency and intergovernmental teamwork is critical to meet the challenges that face us. Together with our partners, we are developing, maintaining and applying the best national and regional expertise in science and engineering to restore and enhance the resilience of our coastlines.”
The Division’s New England, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, and Baltimore districts will execute the coastal restoration projects. New York District is managing projects in New York State and New Jersey north of Manasquan Inlet. Philadelphia District is managing projects in Delaware as well as projects in New Jersey south of the inlet. Baltimore District is managing projects in Maryland. New England District is managing projects in Connecticut. Norfolk District is managing projects in Virginia.
More than 7 million cubic yards of sand will be placed in New York, with about 4 million cubic yards of that placed in the New York City area. The majority of that – about 3 million cubic yards – will be placed along Rockaway Beach in Queens and about 600,000 cubic yards will be placed on Coney Island in Brooklyn. The remaining approximate 3 million cubic yards of sand will be placed on constructed coastal storm risk reduction projects on barrier islands along the South Shore of Long Island.
In New Jersey, about 16 million cubic yards will be placed along the coast. About 15 million cubic yards will be placed along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey with the remaining 875,000 cubic yards being placed along the south shore of Raritan Bay in the area of Keansburg, N.J.
In Delaware, the corps will place approximately 2 million cubic yards of sand at five separate projects. In Maryland, the corps will place 850,000 cubic yards of sand at Ocean City, Md. In Connecticut, the corps will place 99,000 cubic yards of sand along the coast. Finally, in Virginia, the Corps will place 325,000 cubic yards of sand in two separate projects.
In the months since Hurricane Sandy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel have been assessing impacts, performing engineering and design work to prepare for the upcoming coastal work, and working with federal, state, local and industry partners to award contracts for the placement of sand as well as the dredging of federal navigation channels.
More information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects where sand is being placed as part of the post-Sandy coastal restoration efforts is available on http://www.nad.usace.army.mil/Sandy.
For more information on project status in your local area, please contact the following public affairs representatives:
USACE Baltimore District
Chris Augsburger, 410-962-3787
Christopher.Augsburger@usace.army.mil
USACE New England District
Larry Rosenberg, 978-318-8657
Larry.B.Rosenberg@usace.army.mil
USACE New York District
Kenneth Wells, 917-790-8007
Kenneth.Wells@usace.army.mil
USACE Norfolk District
Mark Haviland, 757-201-7673
Mark.W.Haviland@usace.army.mil
USACE Philadelphia District
Edward Voigt, 215-656-6515
Edward.C.Voigt@usace.army.mil