$54 Million Wildwoods Beach and Dune Project Faces Funding Deadline

$54 Million Wildwoods Beach and Dune Project Faces Funding Deadline

The future of a long-awaited beach and dune replenishment project in the Wildwoods may be in serious jeopardy as federal officials are now warning that they could pull the $54 million in funding needed to make it happen.

To note, this project is not the seawall project that we announced earlier this week. You can read about that project by clicking the link below.

New Seawall Is Coming To North Wildwood

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the project, has notified local leaders that the money, originally earmarked to restore beaches in North Wildwood and construct a protective dune line along the barrier island, could be reallocated if a resolution is not reached by the end of September.

The proposed project has been in the works for years and is considered critical to protecting the Wildwoods’ shoreline from erosion and future storm damage.

In its current form, the plan calls for a large-scale beach replenishment in North Wildwood, combined with the construction of a continuous dune line that would run the length of the barrier island.

Dunes act as natural barriers, helping to absorb the impact of powerful waves and storm surges, reducing flooding and protecting homes, businesses, and infrastructure.

At the bottom of this article, we break down the island-wide project in a video.

The federal funding was originally approved as part of a post-Superstorm Sandy recovery spending package.

That 2012 storm caused widespread devastation along the New Jersey coast, accelerating erosion in some areas and highlighting the need for stronger coastal defenses.

The $54 million allocation represents the federal government’s commitment to the project, but officials from the Army Corps and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection have been working through complex issues tied to the project’s scope, design, and execution.

In early 2025, Wildwood Crest and Wildwood raised major objections to the plan on the grounds it would narrow Crest’s own beach by shifting the high‑water line inland by about 650 feet, impacting public access and ADA compliance and events.

The borough council, some residents all voiced strong resistance, emphasizing that existing dune protection was sufficient and that the project would compromise the town’s open beach space.

While other local residents and business owners, especially in North Wildwood have voiced concerns that losing the funding would mean years more of uncertainty, during which time storms and high tides could further erode the beaches.

This project is supposed to help stop the consequences of a 50-year storm.

North Wildwood in particular has seen some of the most severe erosion along the Jersey Shore, with portions of its protective dunes already washed away in recent seasons.

Emergency repairs have been conducted, but these are costly temporary fixes compared to the scale of protection the full Army Corps project could provide.

Time, however, is running out. The Army Corps has set a hard deadline at the end of September for the Corps and the Department of Environmental Protection to reach a final agreement.

If that does not happen, the $54 million could be reallocated to other coastal protection projects in need across the country.

For the Wildwoods, the coming weeks could determine whether a decade-long vision for a fortified shoreline becomes reality or remains just another plan washed away by the tide.

Below is our video, please do consider subscribing before watching.

Let us know what you think in the comments.