Army Corps of Engineers set to begin $19.5 million beach replenishment project in Ocean City, New Jersey
Equipment is in place on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, on Tuesday as a $19.5 million beach replenishment project contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is getting underway.
A dredging ship operated by the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is being moved to the area and pipes for the sand-pumping operation are being put in place Tuesday morning.
Sand-pumping operations are scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon. The work will add about 1.6 million cubic yards of sand to the beach, Ocean City officials say.
Several Jersey Shore beaches have dealt with erosion after the region was battered by severe storms in the past year. In April, Shore towns received $99 million in federal funding to replenish sand that had been stripped away.
While the work is happening, about 1,000 feet (two city blocks) of beach area will be closed each day. Work is beginning in the area between First Street and Pennlyn Place, and that section will be closed Tuesday.
From there, the plan is to work on additional areas moving northward to the Great Egg Harbor Inlet.
Sand pumping operations will continue 24 hours a day until the project is complete.
Ocean City residents and visitors can sign up for updates on the beach replenishment projects at this webpage.
In Strathmere, another Army Corps project is pumping 1.3 million cubic yards of sand to replenish the beach area and create a dune system to help reduce the damage caused by coastal storms.
