Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. said this week that on Jan. 4 work will begin on the $18.3 million beach replenishment project from Asbury Park to Avon.
The federally funded Army Corps of Engineers project will restore beaches in Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach, and Avon-By-The-Sea to better than pre-Sandy conditions and was made possible by the Sandy aid package passed by Congress. The contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, will use over one million cubic yards of sand for the project.
“I’m pleased that this important project, which will help to protect homes and businesses from future flooding, as well as repair the destruction caused by Sandy, is underway,” said Pallone. “Our beaches are a fundamental part of life on the Shore, both for residents to enjoy and as drivers of tourism and our local economy. I have fought for this and other beach replenishment funding for years because I know how important it is to protect some of our most fragile coastal infrastructure.”
The beach replenishment from Asbury Park to Avon is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ larger effort that covers a majority of the beaches from Sea Bright to Manasquan, which is the largest beach nourishment project ever undertaken by the Army Corps and the world’s biggest beach-fill project, in terms of sand volume. Once completed, the greater protective barrier between the coastal communities and the ocean will reduce the risk of flooding and storm related damages.
The Army Corps of Engineers is completing the beach replenishment work from Sea Bright to Manasquan under five contracts. The Army Corps recently completed the first replenishment contract in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach. Construction in Long Branch and the section from Belmar to Manasquan began in November and is currently ongoing. The section of the coast from Elberon to Loch Arbour will move forward under a separate contract in autumn of 2014. Sand has not previously been placed along this section of the coast.
