Dredging operations in the south end beach replenishment project in Ocean City, NJ are tentatively scheduled to resume on Monday, July 20, according the the Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District.
An engine replacement on the hopper dredge Liberty Island is progressing as expected, and work to rebuild Ocean City’s eroded south end beaches will restart in two weeks, Army Corps spokesman Ed Vogt said on Monday.
The project has been at a standstill since May 30 — when the engine powering the dredging operations died.
The engine was “totaled,” according to Army Corps, and the ship returned to port in Norfolk, Va., to get a new engine.
At the time, the Army Corps announced the project would be at standstill for six to eight weeks. The project website still lists the restart of work as “late July.”
The new target date for completion of the project is Sept. 9, and the delay pushes the restart of the project into the heart of the summer vacation season in the resort — from mid-July into August.
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The hopper dredge is a ship that pumps sand into its hold from an offshore borrow area, then travels closer to Ocean City to hook up with a pipeline that feeds the new sand onto the beach.
Crews from the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company of Oak Brook, Illinois have completed work between 37th Street and St. David’s Place (near 47th Street). The current phase of the project started at 55th Street and was moving toward St. David’s when the dredge died at 52nd Street.
On July 20, crews will start work at 52nd Street and move toward 47th Street. The final phase of the project will start at 55th Street and move southward to 59th Street.
When it’s done, Ocean City will have received approximately 1.6 million cubic yards of sand on approximately 2.5 miles of beach from 37th Street to 59thStreet. The $57 million project includes Strathmere and Sea Isle City, and is funded entirely by the federal government.
A separate dredge, the Illinois, is expected to return to Strathmere from a job in Avalon on Saturday, July 11. Work there is concurrent with Ocean City’s project.
