Ocean City Council Grants Final Easement for South End Beach Replenishment; Contract Awarded

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Illinois, has officially been awarded the contract for the south end beach replenishment project, the Christie Administration announced.

Great Lakes submitted the low bid of about $58 million when bids were opened on Oct. 10.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the bid on Wednesday, with an official price tag of $57.6 million.

The contract includes the construction of a dune and a berm, or beach, in front of each community, and is a joint effort of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“Rebuilding beaches is a key part of the Christie Administration’s overall post-Superstorm Sandy resiliency plan,” said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin “This project will provide critical protection to these coastal resort communities. We thank the Army Corps of Engineers for its ongoing partnership with the state in providing a full coastal protection system for New Jersey.”

City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to allow the project to move forward Thursday night.

They approved the ordinance to give the State an easement and right-of-way on every beachfront parcel from 34th Street to Corson’s Inlet State Park.

The City held riparian grants on areas located between the tax lots and the mean high water line on the beach.

Council President Anthony Wilson added that he would like to see the City endorse work at Corson’s Inlet, a state-owned park.

The initial cost of the project will be picked up by the federal government, with a 50-50 split between the federal government and the state and the city for future renourishments, according to a resolution approved by City Council on Oct. 23.

The project was initially approved in 2007. It received funding in 2013 as part of a disaster relief act following Superstorm Sandy.

Following receipt and review of performance bonds from the contractor, the Army Corps will issue a “notice to proceed,” after which the contractor will have 450 days to complete the project. The work will begin this winter.

Work in the southern end of Ocean City, from 34th Street to the northern boundary of Corson’s Inlet State Park, will involve construction of a dune approximately 13 feet above sea level, with a 25-foot-width at the top and a berm extending 100 feet from the seaward base of the dune. On Ludlum Island, which includes Strathmere and Sea Isle, the dune will be about 15 feet high and the berm 50 feet wide.

The DEP has been working in partnership with the Army Corps to improve beaches and dune systems as part of the Christie Administration’s comprehensive resiliency strategy. The DEP is working with the Army Corps on seven major coastal project areas.

For more information on the project, including a map of project boundaries, visit: http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/