STRATHMERE – There’s a stretch of Ocean Drive north of the Corson’s Inlet Bridge that Superstorm Sandy ravaged. While the county has done interim repairs, the sea continues to advance.
According to County Engineer Dale Foster, “We’ve had a lot more erosion of the shoreline. When we get periods around full moon, the tide laps at the road. We lost the berm out front.”
The good news is that the federal government, via a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, because it’s Sandy-related, will pay $1.99-million to fix the road, while the county’s in-kind share will be $686,100.
The revetment, or wall, will extend to Corson’s Inlet Bridge and must be built before the roadway can be raised two feet away from the encroaching sea.
The bad news comes with the stipulations when repair work may be done because of threatened and endangered species.
At the Aug. 8 freeholder caucus, Foster recited those limitations when repair work shall not be done on that eroded part of the highway:
* Nesting season for Piping Plover, March 15 to Aug. 15.
* Spring migration stopover, May 1 to June 10.
* Fall migration stopover, July 15 to Oct. 31.
Also from March 15 to Aug. 15, no work is allowed if there is an osprey nest within 1,000 feet of the project. There is one in the vicinity, Foster noted.
Freeholder Jeffrey Pierson quizzed Foster whether any Piping Plovers were in the area. Foster cited a meeting earlier this year with Army Corps of Engineers and state Department of Environmental Protection officials from various bureaus when that question arose.
He said the Piping Plover is just one of several species of shorebirds that nest during that time.
“We can only work from Nov. 1 to March 14,” said Foster.
Because the repair work will include creating a revetment, or retaining wall, as well as new roadway, the project will extend over two winter seasons.
Since asphalt is the material used for paving the roadway, it’s a must for the project. The difficult aspect of planning such road work is that asphalt plants close at Christmas (Dec. 25) and do not reopen until March 15.
Asked by Director Gerald Thornton whether the restrictions increase the project’s cost, Foster replied, no, since different equipment is needed.
However, the price escalation could rise if asphalt’s cost, currently low, would increase, based on the price of oil.
“We’re into another stretched out construction project,” opined Foster.
Citizen’s View
Similar questions confronted Foster and freeholders later during the regular meeting when Joe McDevitt of Sea Isle City asked about the delay completing Sea Isle Boulevard.
McDevitt, who appeared before the board in October 2014 concerned about Ocean Drive bridges, asked about them, too, but was also puzzled about the delay finishing the road project.
Foster cited those work restrictions cited previously.
“Because of the restrictions we lose the spring of every year,” said Foster when McDevitt cited the compression of soil on the new, raised highway.
“We were done, but we could not remove the surcharge because we can’t work between March 15 and Aug. 15,” said Foster. “We don’t want to be here from Aug. 15 to the middle of September because there are a lot of rubber-neckers.”
The boulevard is down to a narrow two lanes, without shoulders. Thus any slowing of traffic flow would cause problems.
“You take out a major portion of the construction season,” he added.
Complicating the schedule, Foster cited South Jersey Gas, which was placing a gas main in the area.
McDevitt said the wording in the DEP permits was “very vague and talks about one platform missing something. It doesn’t describe what that platform is.”
Of the roadway, McDevitt said, “It’s a dangerous place for people; if people are critters too, we just can’t go protecting ospreys and turtles. I agree they need to be protected, but we count too. I think the government should push back.”
Foster said if there were one osprey nest in the work area, it might be possible to convince DEP to allow removing that nest, however, three other nests would have to be erected.
He noted there are three osprey nests in the work area, which would require nine new nesting platforms to be located.
“We just can’t put people in danger for birds. We eat birds for Christmas and Thanksgiving. You can’t put people in harm’s way,” McDevitt said.
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