OCEAN CITY, Md. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $25.7 million contract for renourishment of the beach following a powerful coastal storm.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, awarded the contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Houston, Texas. The contracts comes after a nor'easter that brought flooding and beach erosion to the town, washing away portions of the beach and dunes.
The USACE says renourishment will involve the placement of roughly 982,000 cubic yards of sand to restore the engineered beach berm to its full design elevation. Work on the beach is projected to begin between late 2026 and early 2027.
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 by USACE, the state of Maryland, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
The beach berm, which is the wide, flat beach in front of the boardwalk and dunes, is an engineered beach that is an element of the Atlantic Coast of Maryland Shoreline Protection Coastal Storm Risk Management project at Ocean City. The project relies on three key elements: a wide, elevated beach; an engineered, protective seawall along the boardwalk; and a vegetated dune system. Together, they absorb wave energy, combat erosion, and shield the town from severe storm surges and flooding.
The USACE says beach renourishment is expected to finish prior to Memorial Day 2027 to minimize impacts to beachgoers and local businesses.
