Press Release
Star Ledger/NJ.com articleMonmouth Congressmen: Final beach replenishment contract awarded, work to begin soon
The final contract for the world’s largest beach replenishment project was awarded last week, area congressmen said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the fourth contract to replenish Hurricane Sandy-ravaged beaches from Sea Bright to the Manasquan Inlet in Monmouth County, Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) said in a Friday press release. “This project will help restore and protect our beaches with suitably engineered dunes, which will have the added benefit to better protect homes, businesses and public property,” Smith said. “The beaches are also the lifeblood of the local economy, and the main reason why tourists visit the shore. This project is an important part of the overall recovery.” The $18,332,500 contract to replenish the beaches between Asbury Park and Avon-by-the-Sea, part of the “Sea Bright to Manasquan Beach Erosion Control Project,” was awarded to the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC, of Oak Brook, Ill. “I’m pleased that the Army Corps is moving forward with this important investment that will help to protect homes and businesses from future flooding, as well as repair the destruction caused by Sandy,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th) said in a Friday press release. “Our beaches are a fundamental part of life here on the shore, both for residents to enjoy and also to drive tourism. I have fought for this and other beach replenishment projects for years because I know how important they are to protect some of our most fragile coastal infrastructure.” The Corps said Friday it expects to issue a notice to proceed in about a week, after the winning bidder submits required information. Construction will be underway this fall and completed in the spring. Sand will be dredged by the contractor from an offshore borrow area, located about four miles offshore of Sea Bright. The work will create a 100-feet-wide, 12-feet-tall beach berm. Over one million cubic yards of sand will be moved along a nine-mile stretch under the. The Corps plan calls for maintenance work about every six years. The communities along Monmouth County’s portion of the Jersey Shore, , continually experience significant beach erosion. In 1962, the Ash Wednesday Storm caused $56 million in damages in 1992 dollars. Due to Superstorm Sandy the beaches in the project area lost roughly 5 million cubic yards of sand. Work encompasses both replacing the sand lost during the storm as well as restoring the project to its original design profile. About eight million cubic yards of sandwill be moved when the restoration is complete. The overall Sea Bright to Manasquan Project covers 21 miles of the New Jersey shoreline and is the largest beach nourishment project ever undertaken by the Corps of Engineers. In terms of sheer volume it is the largest beach fill project in the world, according to the Corps. The first contract, for Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, was awarded in June and is nearing completion. A Long Branch contract was awarded in August with work set to begin in November. Work will begin for the Belmar to Manasquan portion of the project in late October. The Army Corps of Engineers expects to complete the entire project by mid-2014. This spring, local officials complained that the beach replenishment projects should have taken place before Hurricane Sandy's October 2012 landfall. Originally published at: http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2013/10/monmouth_congressmen_final_beach_replenishment_contract_awarded_work_to_begin_soon.html |