OCEAN CITY, Md. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, awarded a $15.7 million contract on August 2, 2021, for berm reconstruction in Ocean City, to Weeks Marine Inc., based in Cranford, New Jersey.
Weeks Marine crews will be using sand from Weaver Shoal, located more than 7 miles offshore of Ocean City on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), under an agreement signed this spring by USACE, Maryland, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Ocean City’s beaches are generally replenished every four years. The project has been replenished six times since initial construction was completed in 1994 using sand resources from state waters. The most recent beach replenishment contract was completed in December 2017. It exhausted the supply of sand from designated borrow areas within state waters. The agreement with BOEM provides access to 1.3 million cubic yards of sand from the OCS for the nourishment of 8.3 miles of beach.
The Atlantic Coast of Maryland Shoreline Protection project consists of a wide, elevated beach, a protective sea wall adjacent to the boardwalk, and a vegetated dune system that continues north from the boardwalk to the state line. These elements work together to reduce impacts to the community associated with coastal storms. USACE estimates this project has prevented more than $927 million in storm damage since construction started in 1990. The beach is also a significant economic driver for Ocean City, which boasts more than 8 million visitors annually.
The project is a cost-shared effort between the Department of the Army, the state of Maryland, Worcester County and the town of Ocean City.
Project construction is anticipated to start sometime after Labor Day and finish prior to Memorial Day 2022 to minimize impacts to beachgoers.
USACE and partners will work closely with BOEM to ensure sand from the OCS is removed in a manner that has the least impact on the environment and wildlife.
Release no. 21-044