Crews work near 18th Street on Monday on the final "surface course" of a Cape May County road project to repave Bay Avenue.
Work crews will pave Bay Avenue between 13th and 18th streets by June 20, then stop work for the summer.
Asphalt Paving Systems of Hammonton has a $3.3 million contract to reconstruct storm pipes and drains, gutters and sidewalks, and to repave the county road between Sixth and 18th streets.
The project began in February and was originally scheduled to be complete before the summer, but the project was delayed by a snowy winter and utility work as New Jersey American Water Company (NJAWC) replaced water mains in advance of the repaving work.
Crews are now working to finish a smooth surface layer and pavement markings for the five southernmost blocks of the project area, according to Cape May County Engineer Dale Foster. Work will cease during the peak summer traffic months in Ocean City and resume in late September — with crews starting at Sixth Street and moving southward to 13th Street in the fall.
The county road — a major north-south thoroughfare in Ocean City — was marked by potholes and makeshift repairs from utility companies digging into the roadway. But the construction work has created delays and detours since the project started several months ago.
Bay Avenue businesses remain open during the construction work.
