A $54 million plan to fortify beaches and dunes across the Wildwoods and Lower Township has been scrapped after local officials failed to resolve a long-running dispute over the project’s scope, state environmental officials said Friday.

The beach protection project between Hereford and Cape May inlets was fully funded by federal and state sources, sparing local taxpayers any cost. Nearly $2.4 million had already been spent on planning and design before it was scrapped.

On Friday, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette formally notified mayors of the Wildwoods and Lower Township that the long-planned beach and dune project was terminated.

The project would have covered the towns located on Five-Mile Island, which include North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and th

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