NEW YORK, NY — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New York District, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announce the start of construction work for the Union Beach Coastal Storm Risk Reduction Project.

A formal press event was held at the site with attendees including Senator Bob Menendez, Cory Booker, and Vin Gopal, Congressman Frank Pallone, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor, NJDEP Commissioner Shawn La Tourette, and Mayor Charles W. Cocuzza.

“Today we closed the final chapter on the planning phases for the Union Beach Coastal Storm Risk Reduction Project and moved onto actual shovels in the ground,” said Col. Matthew W. Luzzatto, Commander, New York District. “This important step could not have been achieved without the support of our partners at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). We’ll continue to work tirelessly to complete this flood risk reduction project, which will provide additional coastal storm risk reduction measures for the residents of these communities.”

New York District is currently in the midst of executing a Superstorm Sandy Coastal Storm Risk Reduction program funded under Public Law 113-2, the Emergency Supplemental Bill passed shortly after Superstorm Sandy. This $6 billion comprehensive portfolio has seen the district complete 52 of the 60 projects for which funding was appropriated, with six of the remaining projects currently under construction.

The district has also spent an estimated $3 billion on new projects to reduce coastal storm risk reduction — completing projects in Sandy Hook to Barnegat Inlet in New Jersey, as well as Long Beach, Downtown Montauk, Coney Island Seagate, and Fire Island to Moriches Inlet, in New York.

The district has also spent another $16 million on feasibility studies to assess potential projects aimed at protecting vulnerable communities, including the NY/NJ Harbor and Tributaries Study or HATS as it is commonly known. The Tentatively Selected Plan was released for comment in fall 2022, and proposes a number of flood risk reduction options designed to provide additional protection to at risk communities throughout the tri-state area.