Great Lakes Dredge and Dock (GLDD) has secured a firm-fixed-price award of $25.7 million to rebuild Ocean City’s beach berm on Maryland’s Atlantic coast.
The Department of War announced the award on September 28. It listed a cumulative face value of $29.1 million, with $25,771,862 in fiscal 2026 civil construction funds obligated at award.
The US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Baltimore District is the contracting activity. Three bids were received after the project was solicited via the internet.
The Corps said the work will place about 982,000 cubic yards of sand, bringing the engineered beach berm back to its full design elevation. Material will be taken from Weaver Shoal, more than seven miles offshore of Ocean City on the outer continental shelf.
The award listing gives an estimated completion date of June 10, 2027. In its September 29 announcement, the Corps said work is expected to start in late 2026 or early 2027 and finish before Memorial Day 2027.
A powerful nor’easter caused beach erosion and dune damage in Ocean City ahead of the Corps’ announcement. The agency said the periodic renourishment was already on the schedule before the storm hit, and that the coming work will also tackle the erosion it caused. It also said teams will make separate site visits to assess the town’s coastal infrastructure later this week.
“The Ocean City beach is designed to be in a dynamic equilibrium with the wave and tidal forces. During a nor'easter, powerful waves pull sand from the beach and move it just offshore, but this sand is not lost from the system,” said USACE Project Manager Todd M. Beser.
As conditions become calmer, moderate waves and tidal currents carry sand from offshore sandbars back onto the beach. The planned renourishment will supplement that process.
The berm contract forms part of Ocean City’s wider coastal protection project. A seawall beside the boardwalk and vegetated dunes complement the elevated beach, helping limit erosion and flooding from storm surges.
The cost-shared project involves the Department of the Army, Maryland, Worcester County and the Town of Ocean City. Since construction began in 1990, the Corps estimates, the wider project has avoided more than $927 million in storm damage.