WILDWOOD CREST – The first phase of a state channel dredging project was completed in February, but Phase II seems to have disappeared from the radar, with the borough left out of the loop.
A project that started in 2024 saw the state Department of Transportation dredge approximately 124,000 cubic yards of sediment and pump it to one of three sites between North Wildwood and Wildwood for dewatering and eventual removal. The scope of the work included the state channel adjacent to North Wildwood, Wildwood and West Wildwood.
A press release from Wildwood Crest’s then-administrator, Connie Mahon, dated May 23, 2023, announced that Phase II was scheduled to follow.
“A second phase of this project that will dredge areas of the bay behind Wildwood Crest is set to commence in late spring 2024,” the release said.
An email sent by the Herald to the DOT this June received the following reply:
“Thank you for contacting the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Please be informed that the Wildwood Phase I Dredging project was completed in February 2025, covering the City of Wildwood, City of North Wildwood and the Borough of West Wildwood.
“Currently, the NJDOT has no active dredging plans for this season in Wildwood or Wildwood Crest.”
The reply, which came from Jacklen Seif of the office of communications for the DOT, suggested calling Wildwood Crest directly for more information. Seif said there was no Phase II.
Deputy Mayor Joseph Franco said the Crest has been waiting a decade to have its state channels dredged, all while Ocean City, North Wildwood, Wildwood, West Wildwood and Avalon had dredging work sponsored by the DOT.
Wildwoods Phase I was a $9.7 million project to dredge boating channels from the mouth of Beach Creek to Post Creek Basin between early September 2023 and the end of January 2024. The goal, according to the 2023 release from Mahon, was to “remove shoals and restore navigability.”
Currently, Franco said, the lack of dredging in the state channel around the borough has not only made it a major safety concern, it is also killing business for fishing boats and sightseeing operators.
“A few years ago,” he said, “there was a fire along Park Boulevard near the bay. One of the homes caught fire, and rescue boats were unable to respond from the water due to low tide.”
Franco said it was fortunate no one was injured. Had the channel been dredged, he added, rescue crews could have attacked the fire from another angle.
The deputy mayor, who heads up the local dredging committee, said the DOT has been dragging its feet regarding Wildwood Crest, while other towns have had dredging projects.
“The DOT has been stalling Wildwood Crest for over a decade, and it’s time for that to stop,” he said. “We’ve been trying to have the channel dredged since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In that time, Ocean City, North Wildwood, West Wildwood, Wildwood and now Avalon have all had their dredging needs accommodated.”
Franco applauded the efforts of former business administrator Connie Mahon, who he said played a key role in bringing neighboring towns to the table to work through shared concerns. He also said that, as far as he knows, Wildwood Crest is the only municipality with its own dredging committee.
“That’s how passionate we are about this project,” he said.
“It’s time for the DOT to step up and help us, before someone is seriously injured. If something happens, it won’t be on our shoulders, it will be on theirs,” he added.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600 x-128.
