The Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $57.6 million contract last Monday to the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company of Oak Brook, Ill., to rebuild eroded beaches at the south end of Ocean City and in Strathmere and Sea Isle City in a much-anticipated project that was originally projected to begin in late November.
But while the Army Corps has released no timetable for the project, a Great Lakes Dredge spokesperson says the project will not begin until the spring.
“Dredging will start in the second quarter (April/ May/June) of 2015,” said Mary Morrissey, senior manager of investor relations for Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company. “At this point, we unfortunately do not know which city will be first when we start dredging.”
That announcement suggests that one or more of the towns in the project area possibly could see dredging work during the peak summer season.
Beach replenishment projects involve the laying of pipeline and the closing of a couple blocks of beach at a time as work crews traverse the project area.
The Army Corps is expected to issue a “notice to proceed” to the contractor as early as next week. The contractor then has about 480 days to complete the project, according to Army Corps spokesman Richard Pearsall.
Great Lakes is the same company that completed the beach replenishment project at Ocean City’s north end in spring 2013. That project began in February and ended in early June. The company has dredging contracts throughout the nation.
The new project will pump new sand onto beaches between 34th and 59th streets in Ocean City.
The federal government will pay 100 percent of the initial project cost to restore beaches at the south end of Ocean City and in Strathmere and Sea Isle City.
Morrissey’s statement is not an official timetable, but it appears clear at least that work will not begin by the end of November, as projected. The contractor will work with the Army Corps and the municipalities to develop a project schedule.
Read more: 50 Years of Sand on the Way to Ocean City’s South End
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