Beach Rebuilding Begins, Federal Project Aids Post-Sandy Resiliency in Three Areas

OCEAN CITY – Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin joined U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd), and Lt. Col. Michael Bliss, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District for a news conference April 17 to announce the start of the Cape May County project to build beaches and dunes in southern Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City, according to a release.
The commissioner then headed north for a similar event in Allenhurst with U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th) for the launch of a project building beaches and making improvements to other coastal protection structures in the area of Loch Arbour, Allenhurst and Deal in Monmouth County.
The projects are being funded through $1.2 billion appropriated by Congress to rebuild and strengthen New Jersey’s coastline to better protect shore communities following Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.
The federally funded projects, totaling nearly $96 million, are critical components of the administration’s comprehensive strategy to protect communities and make the state’s coastline stronger and more resilient in the face of future storms.
A contractor for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District last week launched work on a $57.6-million contract to construct beaches and dunes in the three municipalities in the county.
The projects are being funded by $1.2 billion appropriated by Congress to rebuild and strengthen New Jersey’s beaches following Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.
“These two projects are critical toward our goal of constructing a statewide coastal protection system that will protect lives and property against future weather events such as Superstorm Sandy,” Martin stated. “Rebuilding beaches is a key part of the Christie Administration’s overall post-Superstorm Sandy resiliency plan. I thank the Army Corps for working in partnership with us to protect our coastal communities, first with extensive repair projects immediately after Sandy hit and now with the long-term rebuilding of our coastline that is so economically vital to New Jersey.”
In Cape May County, the Army Corps began placing sand in the area of 42nd and 43rd streets in southern Ocean City. Work in the southern end of Ocean City, from 34th Street to the northern boundary of Corson’s Inlet State Park, will involve construction of a dune approximately 13 feet above sea level, with a 25-foot-width at the top and a beach extending 100 feet from the seaward base of the dune.
On Ludlum Island, which encompasses Strathmere and Sea Isle City, the dune will be 15 feet above sea level and 25 feet wide at the top. The beach will be 50 feet wide.
The contractor is Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Ill. More than 4.2 million cubic yards of sand will be pumped over the 9.1-mile length of the project. Crossovers will be repaired, sand fencing installed and dune grasses planted.
“This is the culmination of a long process that involved a lot of hard work,” stated Bliss. “The State of New Jersey and the local communities have been great partners in helping to plan and design these projects and move them forward to construction.
“For these three Cape May County communities – southern Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City — we especially appreciate their patience and perseverance in seeing this project through to reality. We thank them as we look forward to the greater protection the new dunes and engineered beaches will provide.”
The administration’s resiliency strategy also includes, among other things: the Sandy Blue Acres buyout program, which will move 1,300 residential properties in flood prone areas to move residents out of harm’s way and create natural buffers against severe weather events; financing of projects that will bolster protections for water and wastewater infrastructure; establishing more protective reconstruction elevation standards in flood zones; and providing financial assistance for flood elevations of homes.