New Jersey Seawall Saves Highway but Erases Entire Beach, USGS Finds
A USGS study shows that a concrete seawall along New Jersey’s coast has kept a highway and homes safe while completely removing the sandy beach in front of it.
New Jersey built a massive concrete seawall to protect a coastal highway and beachfront properties from erosion and storm damage. According to the USGS’s "Coasts in Crisis" circular, the vertical barrier reflects incoming wave energy straight down, generating intense turbulence that erodes the sand at the wall’s base. Decades of this process stripped the beach away entirely, so that even at low tide no recreational sand remains.
Although the wall has succeeded in shielding the road and homes, the disappearance of the beach eliminates a key natural defense and reduces tourism revenue. The US Army Corps of Engineers has undertaken costly sand-pumping operations to rebuild the shoreline, yet the USGS cautions that the hard structure will continue to push sand offshore, necessitating ongoing maintenance. The case highlights the trade-off between protecting built assets and preserving dynamic coastal ecosystems.
Why it matters
It shows how hard coastal defenses can safeguard property while destroying natural beaches and increasing long-term maintenance costs.
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