Posted on October 22, 2017
An $11.5 million federal beach replenishment project has begun on north end beaches as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teams up with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
A dredging pipe stationed off Great Egg Harbor Inlet will hit the beach near Morningside Road, with pumping proceeding north then switching direction and pump south, according to City Business Administrator Jim Mallon.
Pumping will occur 24 hours, seven days a week as the contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, will close 1,000 feet of beach at a time with no public access to those closed areas, Mallon said.
In an Oct. 13 letter to the community, Mayor Jay Gillian noted the Army Corps of Engineers could begin restoring beaches between Seaspray Road and the area approaching the 14th Street Pier as soon as Oct. 21.
“The renourishment project will include about 1 million cubic yards of new sand to elevate and widen our beaches, and to stockpile material to help us rebuild dunes at Fifth Street and other areas,” Gillian said. “The work is expected to take about 50 days but could stretch into the new year, depending on weather conditions and other factors.”
This is the eighth beach renourishment project for Ocean City, Gillian said.
Ocean City has a 50-year agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers for beach replenishment that began in 1994 and runs in a three-year cycle.
Mallon said final surveys will be completed and determine exact quantities of sand the city will receive and where the project will end, most likely 12th or 14th street.
Source: Ocean City Sentinel
