The dunes at Fifth Street in Ocean City were partially sheared away during the winter, leaving sharp drop-offs resembling cliffs.
With nearly $100 million in funding now at its disposal, the federal agency that oversees beach replenishment projects is preparing to restore parts of the storm-damaged Cape May County shoreline from Ocean City to Stone Harbor.
The funding breakdown for beach and dune projects that will be supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers consists of:
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, whose 2nd Congressional District includes the shore communities of Atlantic and Cape May counties, announced Tuesday that the federal government has approved $99 million in funding for beach projects in Ocean City, Strathmere, Sea Isle, Avalon and Stone Harbor.
"This is a huge investment for our shoreline, one of the largest we have ever seen, and it is going to make a real difference. Our beaches are so important to South Jersey, and this level of investment means stronger protection, more stability, and peace of mind for our shore communities," Van Drew said in a statement.
Van Drew did not give a town-by-town breakdown of the funding in his announcement, but the Army Corps of Engineers followed up on Friday with more details about how much money each community will receive.
In some cases, the Jersey Shore towns have been struggling with severe erosion to their beaches and dunes caused by a series of offshore hurricanes and coastal storms in recent months.
Strathmere's beaches have been hit hard by erosion. (Photo courtesy of Strathmere Improvement Association)The Strathmere section of Upper Township, for instance, recently was forced to demolish its Beach Patrol headquarters after erosion washed away part of the dune under the building.
Some of the beaches in the northern end and downtown section of Ocean City also suffered serious erosion, including areas where the dunes were sheared away by the waves to leave mini-sand cliffs in their wake.
Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said the funding that will go to Ocean City is the "first and most important step" in a process that will lead to a full replenishment of the eroded north-end and downtown beaches.
"We will work closely with our partners to make sure this important project can be completed as quickly as possible," Gillian said in a statement.
In a news release Friday, the Army Corps of Engineers said it is concurrently preparing to solicit contracts for separate beach replenishment projects in northern Ocean City and Avalon/Stone Harbor.
"USACE will continue to expedite every step to enable construction to move forward as quickly as possible," the agency said.
The Army Corps has already published a contract solicitation for dune and beachfill work in Sea Isle City and Strathmere.
The timing for construction will depend on bids from private industry and the availability of dredging equipment. The base contract for Strathmere and Sea Isle calls for dredging, pumping and placing more than 1.1 million cubic yards of fresh sand on the beaches.
The pathway at John F. Kennedy Boulevard leads to the downtown beaches in Sea Isle City.The sand will be collected from two "borrow areas" - one located off Corson's Inlet and the other approximately three miles offshore of Sea Isle.
In Strathmere, 863,000 cubic yards of sand will be pumped onto the beach from Ocean Drive to Jasper Road.
In Sea Isle, 299,000 cubic yards of sand will replenish the beaches from between 29th and 30th streets to between 54th and 55th streets.
Once the new sand is placed on the beaches, it will be spread out in a way that is designed to maintain the dune and berm system and reduce damage from coastal storms.
The contract also includes options for the placement of additional sand, dune crossovers/access paths and fencing. Other features will also be installed or repaired as part of the contract, the Army Corps said.
