Cape May Seawall Project Approved With $24.3M in Federal Funding

It’s no secret that the biggest issues at the Jersey Shore stem all the way back to Mother Nature and the ocean, and the ability that Mother Nature has to throw a lot of water into our streets. Since Hurricane Sandy, we’ve seen some major steps into protecting many of our shores. And well, Cape May is seeing another giant step.

A major coastal protection project aimed at safeguarding one of Cape May City’s most vulnerable areas has officially been authorized to move forward, according to an announcement from Jeff Van Drew.

The authorization secures more than $24.3 million in federal funding for the Cape May City Seawall Flood Mitigation Project, marking a significant milestone years in the making.

This project has been one many years in the making with the most recent mockups, seen in this article, stemming back to 2022.

Van Drew said he received direct confirmation from the office of the Secretary of Homeland Security that the project has cleared its final federal hurdle. The funding authorization signals that the project can now advance beyond planning and review stages and into active implementation.

“This section of Cape May was identified after Hurricane Sandy as a serious weak point, and that vulnerability has not gone away,” Van Drew said. “The next major storm is not a matter of if, but when. This project ensures we are not caught unprepared.”

The targeted area of Cape May City has long been susceptible to storm surge, tidal flooding, and coastal erosion.

Hurricane Sandy exposed structural and geographic weaknesses that placed homes, businesses, and historic properties at elevated risk. Since then, the area has remained a priority for federal mitigation efforts due to repeated flood threats and long term sea level rise concerns.

This area is the streets between Madison Avenue up to Wilmington Avenue. The current wall end on Madison Ave.

The involvement of the Department of Homeland Security indicates the funding is likely tied to FEMA flood mitigation and resilience programs, which require extensive review, cost benefit analysis, and environmental approvals.

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Reaching the authorization stage suggests the project has met those criteria and demonstrated sufficient risk reduction value to warrant federal investment.

While detailed engineering plans have not yet been released publicly, at least updated ones, projects of this scale typically include reinforcement or reconstruction of existing seawalls, improved protection against storm surge, and integration with broader coastal defense systems.

Officials caution that authorization does not mean immediate construction.

Final design work, bidding, and permitting are still required before ground activity begins. However, clearing the federal authorization process, aka CAFRA reports, places the project firmly on track and significantly increases the likelihood it will be completed.

For Cape May City and the wider South Jersey shoreline, the funding represents a concrete step toward long term coastal resilience.

As extreme weather events become more frequent, projects like this are increasingly seen as essential infrastructure rather than optional upgrades.

Are you excited for this project? When completed you will be able to bike from the Cove all the way to Wilmington Ave