# Cape May County Pursues Townsends Inlet Dredging

An agreement has been announced to pursue emergency dredging at Townsends Inlet, where shoaling has narrowed the channel between Avalon and Sea Isle City, New Jersey. Construction is estimated at $1.5 million, including a $250,000 contribution from Cape May County, but no contractor, solicitation, or schedule has been identified. Separately, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Norfolk Dredging Company a $15.8 million beach-nourishment contract in June 2026; that award is a distinct project, not the announced inlet-dredging opportunity.

- The dredging project is a potential local infrastructure opportunity, but procurement professionals do not yet have a solicitation, named contractor, or schedule to plan against.
- Companies interested in the work can track the local, state, and federal coordination on funding, permits, and execution identified in the announcement.
- The nearby USACE beach-nourishment award provides evidence of recent federal dredging and coastal-work procurement in the area, but does not establish that Norfolk Dredging Company will perform the inlet work.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Transportation
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- Cape May County
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- U.S. House of Representatives

### Vendors
- Norfolk Dredging Company (awardee)

### Key Quotes
> We have to go through there at quick speeds, or I’d lose my steering and we can’t make it.
> — Irv Hurd, Captain of Miss Avalon

### Sources
- [
 Emergency dredging eyed for New Jersey’s Townsends Inlet - DredgeWire : DredgeWire	](https://dredgewire.com/emergency-dredging-eyed-for-new-jerseys-townsends-inlet) - DredgeWire