Marsh Enhancement With Toe Protection: Great Egg Harbor Bay, NJ

The New Jersey DOT implemented nature-based solutions to stabilize approximately 1 mile of eroding marsh banks, addressing boat wake concerns from the replacement of the Route 52 causeway near Ocean City, NJ. The design included shoreline regrading using onsite material, coir fascine edging to stabilize the marsh toe, and planting Spartina alterniflora landward of the coir fascine. For shorelines experiencing higher wave energies, a stone marsh toe revetment and a sheet pile wall were incorporated. After the first 3 years of monitoring, all sites showed increases in marsh coverage, average stem height, and average plant density, and remained undamaged after Hurricane Sandy (2012).