Google Earth satellite images updated on May 25 — just four days before the dredge pumping sand for a massive beach replenishment project on Ocean City’s south end broke down — offer a great view of the progress of work and of the width of the rebuilt beaches.
An Army Corps of Engineers contractor had completed work between 37th and 47th streets and between 55th and 52nd streets when the dredge’s engine failed.
The satellite images show the dramatic difference between the rebuilt beaches and the five-block gap between 47th and 52nd streets where work has not been completed.
Google Earth is free to download, and the program offers satellite images of anywhere in the world. The program’s toolbar includes a history slider that lets users see the same areas at different points in time.
The engine on the Liberty Island died on May 30 and the ship was in port for seven weeks as it was replaced. It returned to Ocean City on July 20 for what was expected to be the restart of work. But the dredge broke again on its first test pump.
A reduction gearbox has been repaired, and the Liberty Island is expected to be back from port in Norfolk, Va., in time to start work on Friday, according to Richard Pearsall, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District.
Work to rebuild eroded beaches between 37th and 59th streets in Ocean City began April 20 and was expected to be complete by now.
The most recent repair will add 11 days to a project that had been scheduled to be complete by Sept. 9.
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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 47th Street. The current phase of the project started at 55th Street and was moving toward 47th Street when the dredge died at 52nd 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.
