A tug drags sections of pipeline on Monday, March 23, as the Army Corps of Engineers prepares for a project to rebuild eroded beaches at the southern end of Ocean City, NJ.
The sight of tugs and pipeline on Monday afternoon off the beach at 41st Street in Ocean City marked the first stages of a long-awaited beach replenishment project for the south end.
The Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company has a $57.6 million contract to rebuild beaches and dunes in southern Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City.
The Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is scheduled to start pumping new sand onto eroded Ocean City beaches as early as May 1, and the setup of an offshore dredge and pipeline to the beach will continue until then.
The $57.6 million project to rebuild eroded beaches and dunes at the southern end of Ocean City remains on or ahead of schedule.
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to update City Council on the project at the public council meeting scheduled for April 9.
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Great Lakes Dredge and Dock will pump sand from an offshore borrow area to replenish beaches between 36th and 59th streets in Ocean City and across the length of Strathmere and Sea Isle City, where a second dredge will begin pumping about a month earlier.
A first pipeline will land on the beach in the area of 41st Street in Ocean City, and work will proceed northward from there to 36th Street. When that is complete, work will progress southward from 41st Street to 49th Street.
A second pipeline will then be directed to the beach at 55th Street, and work will move from there to 49th Street. Work will end with a southward push from 55th Street to 59th Street.
About 1,000 feet of beach of beach will be closed at any given time — with work proceeding at an estimated 200 feet per day.
The company hopes to finish pumping by Aug. 12 and to complete dune construction by Aug. 20. Dune grass will be planted in November.
The federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost of the project.
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