Atlantic City Beach Replenishment Update – Drone Video
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District is well underway on a major beach replenishment project for Absecon Island.
This large-scale effort aims to combat coastal erosion and bolster storm protection for the communities of Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate, and Longport.
The $38.2 million contract has been awarded to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, a leading firm specializing in coastal restoration. This is the same team you often see handling dredging projects up and down the Jersey coast.
Under the agreement, the company will dredge and place approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of sand onto the island’s beaches. The sand will be sourced from designated borrow areas in Absecon Inlet and offshore in the
Atlantic City Beach Replenishment Update – Drone Video
Atlantic Ocean.
Construction on this project started this past November and will take roughly four months to complete.
This replenishment effort is part of a long-term strategy to protect Absecon Island’s shoreline. By widening the beaches and restoring dunes, access paths, and sand fencing, the project will provide enhanced storm surge protection and help preserve the region’s vital coastal ecosystem.
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The initiative is a collaborative effort between the USACE, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and local municipalities. The Absecon Island beachfill project originally began in 2004 and has been maintained periodically to ensure its continued effectiveness.
Regular beach nourishment is essential in mitigating erosion caused by natural wave action, storms, and rising sea levels. However, the last beach replenishment project in Atlantic City was back in 2020.
The Wildwood Video Archive has been documenting all of the beach replenishment projects south of Atlantic City, so we had to stop by and check it out. You can watch our video at the bottom of this article.
Beach conditions on the island have deteriorated since 2020, to the point where casinos like The Hard Rock, Ocean, Resorts, and Showboat Resort had barely any beach left for guests.
Knowing how important the beaches are for their visitors, Ocean Casino Resort decided to spend upwards of $600,000 to bring in their own sand. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.
When we visited, crews were actively laying down sand all the way to the MLK Jr. Blvd beach. That covers roughly 20 blocks of shoreline, which are now hundreds of feet wider.
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