We can’t complain about the winter thus far in New Jersey, which has been great for my snow- and shovel-hating heart. But the weird weather in 2011, including Hurricane Irene and that freak October snowstorm, certainly did a number on our coastline here.

However, the shore is getting some help, courtesy of $24 million in aid from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to be used for beach replenishment, flood mitigation, environmental restoration, and waterway navigation projects in New Jersey, announced Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

“While we have more work to do, these funds are a critical investment in helping our most flood-prone communities and finding long-term solutions to prevent future flooding,” Lautenberg said in a press release. “This federal funding will support our coastline by replenishing New Jersey's beaches, which protect our coastal economy from storms.”

The funding comes from the Fiscal Year 2012 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, which funds the Corps. The monies will go to: flood mitigation at various river basins; beach replenishment at areas including Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright, Atlantic City, Cape May, Wildwood, and Sandy Hook Bay; environmental restoration at the Hudson-Raritan Estuary; and waterway navigation.

You can find the announcement, with the exact sums and where they’re going, here.

After years of writing about development being delayed (rightly or wrongly) by the Corps, it’s a nice change of pace to write some good news that will help tourism, residents and all the commercial space along our coasts.