Ocean City Boardwalk’s Reconstruction Moves Along at a Fast Clip

By Donald Wittkowski

It’s as though a cataclysmic storm has wiped out an entire section of the Ocean City Boardwalk, leaving a gaping hole between 11^th and 12^th streets and exposing the virgin sand underneath.

“How bare it looks,” Nick Tassiello exclaimed while gazing at the empty space. “What would you do without the Boardwalk?”

Tassiello, 55, of Sicklerville, Camden County, decided to take a trip to the shore Tuesday to bask in the mild weather. While strolling on the Boardwalk, he was surprised to see that a portion of it is gone.

But Tassiello smiled when told that the missing piece will soon be filled in with fresh wood as part of the Boardwalk’s ongoing reconstruction between 10^th and 12^th streets.

The work is the final phase of a multiyear facelift stretching from Fifth to 12^th streets and costing a total of about $10 million. The Boardwalk’s new wood decking and substructure between 10^th and 12^th streets will cost $2.9 million.

When construction began in mid-October, the project was scheduled to continue until March 2018. However, workers with Fred M. Schiavone Construction Inc., of Malaga, N.J., the construction contractor, said the city hopes to see the project finished by Presidents Day weekend in February.

The relatively mild weather so far, as fall transitions into winter, makes the Boardwalk’s early completion a distinct possibility. It happened last year, too, when Schiavone was able to capitalize on tranquil weather in February to complete the Boardwalk’s reconstruction between Eighth and 10^th streets weeks earlier than the March 2017 deadline.

City spokesman Doug Bergen said Tuesday the completion date for the work between 10^th and 12^th streets is scheduled before the end of March. Mayor Jay Gillian noted in his weekly “Mayor’s Corner” message posted on the city website that the Boardwalk project is “going well.”

Already, the entrance ramp to the Boardwalk at 10^th Street has reopened. A new section of wood planks now covers the Boardwalk between 10^th and 11^th streets. The mayor said in his message that the part between 10^th and 11^th streets may reopen this week.

Construction crews are driving wood piles deep into the sand at 12^th street for the new substructure. They will work their way back toward 11^th street, where the stretch of now-bare sand awaits their arrival.

In the meantime, the work has forced the Boardwalk’s closure between 10^th and 12^th streets. Walkers, joggers and bikers are confronted with a series of “Boardwalk closed” signs, barriers and detours in the construction zone.

Jeffrey Monihan, 66, a lifelong Ocean City resident and semi-retired real estate broker, visits the Boardwalk from time to time to check on the progress of the work. On Tuesday, he peered through a chain-link construction fence at 10^th Street to get a glimpse of the new wood planks.

“They’ve been blessed with good weather to get this work done,” Monihan said.

Monihan said he likes to ride his bike on the Boardwalk. He’s noticed that the new sections, completed in recent years between Fifth and 10^th streets, have made his rides smoother.

“I think this is nice,” he said of the reconstruction project. “But I also think that in four years, they’ll be popping up the boards to rebuild it again.”

The Boardwalk is Ocean City’s most heavily visited attraction, boasting an array of retail shops, amusement parks, restaurants and other amenities. Altogether, it spans 2.5 miles from St. James Place to 23^rd Street.

The most enduring image of the Boardwalk is of bustling summer vacation crowds packing the famous oceanfront promenade from end to end. But now, the walkway has been taken over by heavy construction equipment and workers wearing hard hats – at least the part between 10^th and 12^th streets.

The myriad walkers, runners and bikers who traverse the boards each year inevitably add to the wear and tear, requiring an overhaul from time to time. Salt air, storms and harsh winters also take a toll on the walkway.

During the rebuilding project, businesses located within the construction zone have had to adjust to the Boardwalk being closed off in front of their stores. Some have shut down during the work, while others have relied on side entrances to maintain access to their shops.

Representatives of Schiavone Construction said when the project began in October they would do their best to minimize disruptions and maintain access to the businesses.