Posted on October 2, 2017
The Army Corps of Engineers expects to award the contract for upcoming beach replenishment work on Long Beach Island to Weeks Marine Inc. by Sept. 30, the end of the federal government’s fiscal year, according to Public Affairs Officer Steve Rochette. Harvey Cedars, Surf City and from 31st to 57th Street in the Brant Beach section of Long Beach Township are slated for restoration.
Cranford-based Weeks Marine was the low bidder for the project – a $34 million base bid and $40 million for base plus contract options – and beat out bidders Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., Manson Construction Co. and the Dutra Group.
Depending on dredge availability, operations could begin in the late fall, with the base contract work finishing in May 2018.
As Rochette pointed out, Weeks Marine also has the contract for beachfill in northern Ocean County, which is set to begin in Mantoloking this month.
In November 2016, Great Lakes completed beachfill operations in Holgate, marking the conclusion of initial construction of LBI’s dune and berm system. The entire project area is now eligible for the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies program. As Rochette explained, “The way this works: After a significant storm event, we conduct a damage assessment and determine whether the project is eligible based on certain criteria. This program is national and funds repairs to projects across the country, so if the project has been approved and if there’s adequate funding available, we would move forward to repair the project or portions of the project.”
The Army Corps received notice last winter that supplemental federal appropriations were available to apply to several rehabilitation projects throughout the country, including these three sections of LBI set to be repaired soon.
Meanwhile, the entirety of the project will continue to be evaluated on a routine, as well as post-storm, basis.
Source: The SandPaper.Net
