Posted on August 16, 2018
Beachfill contractor Weeks Marine Inc. was completing restoration of Surf City on Tuesday, Aug. 7, tapering off the work a few streets into northern Ship Bottom “to ensure a smooth transition,” said Steve Rochette, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the project’s federal sponsor. According to Rochette, Weeks will then demobilize equipment, and plans to move the hopper dredge Magdalen – which had been on site for the Surf City operations – to help with the replenishment in Harvey Cedars, joining the cutterhead dredge R.S. Weeks.
Weather, occasional dredge repairs and a contract option for additional sand have pushed the estimated completion for beachfill in Harvey Cedars to mid-September. Work began there in the borough in late May, and was originally expected to finish by the end of July.
On Monday, beach access closures in Harvey Cedars included Gloucester and Cape May avenues.
Weeks wrapped up another project, from about 31st to 57th streets in Brant Beach, at the end of May.
“Ideally, construction takes place outside of the summer season, but there is a limited number of dredges capable of completing this type of project,” the Army Corps notes on its website. “Additionally, weather, mechanical issues and progress on other projects has significantly impacted the schedule for work on Long Beach Island.”
The Army Corps is also continuing to monitor severely eroded beaches in Holgate, on the south tip of LBI.
“We are certainly aware of erosion at the southern end of Holgate, and we will continue to work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Long Beach Township and stakeholders on the issue,” Rochette said last week. That area is not part of the current contract work, which includes only Harvey Cedars, Surf City and Brant Beach.
Source: The SandPiper.Net
