Posted on April 20, 2026
By Victoria Gladstone | NJ.com
A South Jersey beach town is spending $1 million to prevent further erosion from its diminishing beaches.
Bay Head Mayor William Curtis said two jetties damaged during Superstorm Sandy are being repaired this summer, with the money coming from a local group. Bill Gage, president of the Bay Head Improvement Association, said more than 100 people, mostly locals, donated funds over the past six years to pay for the project.
Repairs to the jetties located near Karge Street and Mount Street began on April 13, according to a social media post.
A staging area for the project will be near a dune that’s slightly north of Karge Street, the association said. Large boulders will be placed there before being placed along the jetties, Curtis said.
“This is a project that we feel is vital to the preservation of our beaches,” the association said.
The original jetties were built in the 1960s and made of wood. Gage said the large boulders will create a more permanent and effective structure. He said the Department of Environmental Protection approved the project.
DEP officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bay Head beaches have been replenished several times by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but, Curtis said, the sand continues to be swept away over time. Massive storms have also eroded the beaches at an alarming rate.
