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Star Ledger/NJ.com article'Work underway to remove gigantic sandbar from Jersey Shore inlet, officials say'The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work Tuesday to remove the massive build-up of sand on the southern shore of the Manasquan Inlet that has concerned multiple local officials, authorities said. Crews from the Corps have started dredging the waterway and removing the sand on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the inlet, according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist.
In a follow-up letter to Army Corps Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Beeman on Monday, Smith urged the Corps to take immediate action to mitigate what his office called a “growing navigational hazard.”
“We are very grateful to Lt. Col. Beeman and his team from the Philadelphia Army Corps for their quick response to our concerns over the dangerous shoaling in the Manasquan Inlet that poses serious navigational hazards to boaters during this especially busy time of the year on the Jersey Shore,” Smith said in a release. “(Point Pleasant Beach) Mayor (Doug) Vitale was also quick to help ensure that this important safety issue was raised and addressed as soon as possible.”
Smith added that while the weather and sea conditions would likely impact the dredging and sand removal efforts, he was confident the “Army Corps will continue to see this critical operation through to its end as quickly as possible.” The congressman said that in the meantime, beachgoers should remain off the sand bar at all times as the work being done by the Corps could make the shoal extremely unstable and unsafe.
A spokesman from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday it was working to obtain hydrographic surveys of the current inlet conditions. Once they were completed, they would be posted online for mariners to access and would be shared with the Coast Guard.
That survey was completed earlier Tuesday, Smith said.
The same spokesman said Tuesday that the dredge crew did two cycles before the bad weather hit and that dredging would resume likely early next week when sea conditions allow for it. More dredging be done later this month as well.
It was unclear how long it would take the Corps to complete the dredging and removal of the shoal, which was likely formed “due in large part to the southerly wind we’ve been having,” Vitale wrote on his Facebook page. An Army Corps spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for additional information Tuesday.
This article was published by the Star Ledger/NJ.com on Aug. 7, 2024 and can be found online at: https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2024/08/work-underway-to-remove-gigantic-sandbar-from-nj-inlet-officials-say.htmlhttps://www.nj.com/monmouth/2024/08/work-underway-to-remove-gigantic-sandbar-from-nj-inlet-officials-say.html |