USACE awards contract for Avalon and Stone Harbor beachfill project

The USACE Philadelphia District has awarded a $15.8 million contract to Norfolk Dredging Company to conduct periodic nourishment of the Townsends Inlet to Cape May Inlet (Avalon & Stone Harbor) dune and beachfill project.

The project is a joint effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor.  

According to USACE, the contract calls for dredging sand from the Townsends Inlet and Hereford Inlet borrow sites. Sand is then pumped through a series of pipes, placed on beaches, and graded into an engineered dune and berm template, which is designed to reduce damage from coastal storm events.

The contract includes the following work:

• Avalon: Approximately 941,032 cubic yards of sand will be placed from 9^th Street to 28^th Streets,
• Stone Harbor: Approximately 538,867 cubic yards of sand will be placed in two areas – from 98^th to 114^th Streets and from 120^th to the terminal groin (*note – additional areas in Stone Harbor outside of these areas may receive sand placement based on pre-construction surveys)

Norfolk Dredging Company will begin dredging and beachfill operations in the summer of 2026 after completing work on a separate project in Sea Isle City/Strathmere, N.J.