CAPE MAY – At the City Council’s April 2 meeting, City Manager Paul Dietrich briefly outlined the plans for the $6.7 million Boardwalk Preservation Grant that the city received in February.
Dietrich said the area that will benefit from the preservation grant runs from just east of Madison south to the Cove.
Guiding the effort is a study by Colliers Engineering that rates each of the access points along the Promenade route, grading them with respect to factors like structural condition and Americans With Disabilities Act access.
Dietrich said a number of the beach access points are in poor condition. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done,” he added.
A report from Colliers with a detailed evaluation of each access point is available on the city website. The report also points to areas of the Promenade where the structure is in dire need of repair.
Work is expected to begin after the summer and continue through the winter months. Dietrich estimates that the cost of the work will be about $7 million, which will absorb the grant and the city’s 5% contribution.
A second phase to the Promenade work is estimated at $13 million to $15 million. The city will seek additional grant support for that future work, which includes widening of the walkway, resurfacing and flood mitigation efforts.
Dietrich emphasized that the current preservation grant will be used for the existing Promenade and will not be allocated to the $25 million sea wall expansion project.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
