New Seawall Is Coming To North Wildwood

New Seawall Is Coming To North Wildwood

Mother Nature hasn’t been the best of friends with our beaches here in North Wildwood. Every year it seems she wants to take more and more of our shoreline.

One way we stop her is by building bulkheads. These heavy-duty barriers are driven dozens of feet into the sand in hopes that the ocean won’t be able to push them over, spewing water and sand into our streets and threatening homes or critical infrastructure.

Over the past ten years, we’ve seen the city take a proactive approach to storm defense, constructing bulkheads from 3rd Avenue and JFK Boulevard all the way down to 16th Street. These walls have become essential in protecting against storm surges and beach erosion.

You may remember that North Wildwood and the State of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) got into a high-profile legal battle over emergency beach repairs and unpermitted dune work.

That fight officially came to an end last year when both sides reached a major settlement.

As part of the settlement:

• The NJDEP canceled about $12 million in fines previously issued to the city for unauthorized beach work.
• In return, North Wildwood dropped its $30 million lawsuit against the state seeking reimbursement for emergency sand projects.
• The city also agreed to pitch in $1 million toward a large-scale federal beach replenishment project and pay $700,000 into the state’s water pollution control fund.

North Wildwood must also meet several compliance terms, including reconfiguring bulkheads, removing the Lou Booth Amphitheater, planting native vegetation, and ensuring all future beach and dune work is done with proper permits.

Also See: The Government Just Cut New Jersey Beach Replenishment Funding — Our Beaches Are In Danger

This by the way, is the reason why the Lou Booth Amphitheater didn’t have any concerts or shows this entire summer.

With the lawsuits behind them, North Wildwood and the state were finally on the same page.

That didn’t mean the city was off the hook. It still had to follow through on several agreed-upon changes, including adjustments to its bulkheads.

The one that caused the biggest stir was the bulkhead between 3rd and 7th Avenue along JFK.

According to the NJDEP, the issue wasn’t how deep or tall the bulkhead was. It was the Z-shaped design that raised concern.

They said this unusual layout disrupted the natural dune line and could interfere with sand movement and nearby habitats. The NJDEP also called it an “unauthorized development in environmentally sensitive areas.”

While many could argue about whether or not the city had a choice in building that bulkhead the way it did, the reality is that North Wildwood felt it was acting out of necessity.

With each passing storm, more of the beach disappeared, and the threat to homes and infrastructure became harder to ignore.

City officials have long said they were left with no other option but to act quickly, especially while waiting for state and federal beach replenishment efforts that seemed endlessly delayed. In their view, the Z-shaped bulkhead wasn’t a perfect solution; it was a critical one. (This is the one at 5th-7th)

Regardless, a new bulkhead will have to be built, which looks to be happening soon.

This is known because of a new CAFRA application that was submitted to the state earlier this month.

That application went on to say, “the proposed project involves construction of a new seawall along JFK Boulevard between 7th and 3rd Avenues in the City of North Wildwood. The project also includes the construction of a stone cap on the existing seawall between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Construction access and staging will occur along JFK Blvd between 12th and 7th Avenues.”

This new seawall would not be in a ‘Z’ formation but rather in a straight line so that it complies with the state’s requirement.

When will this project start?

The public comment period begins on August 6, 2025, and runs through September 6, 2025. If the project receives approval after that, the city will need about 30 days to prepare and review bids for the construction contract.

This puts the estimated start date for the project in the spring of 2026, although the city has not officially confirmed a timeline yet.

With this new seawall project on the horizon, North Wildwood is taking a major step toward protecting its cherished shoreline and community from future storms and erosion.

While the process has had its bumps, legal battles, environmental concerns, and tough decisions, the city is now moving forward with a solution that balances safety, environmental responsibility, and the long-term health of the beach.

What do you think about this project? Something to keep in mind, we still don’t have a timeline on when the Lou Booth Amphitheater could be demolished. We also don’t have a plan on whether we could see a new one built and where.

If you had to pick a new spot for an Amphitheater, where would you put it?