Southend Beach Replenishment Project to Resume Next Week in Ocean City

After another brief delay, the southend beach replenishment project will resume next week, according to Ocean City Business Administrator Jim Mallon.

After a delay while the Liberty Island hopper dredge was having a new engine installed, work was set to resume this week.

However, a mechanical problem brought the project to a halt almost as soon as it resumed.

“The dredge is expected to be back July 31 and to begin pumping immediately,” Mallon said during Thursday night’s meeting at City Hall.

It is the third time the dredge has needed repairs.

The projected end date for the program had already been pushed back from July to September before this week’s mechanical problem.

The replenishment includes Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City, and is known as the New Jersey Shore Protection, Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Townsends Inlet project.

In Ocean City, the project extends from 34th Street to the northern boundary of Corson’s Inlet State Park. It includes the construction of a dune about 13 feet above sea level with a 25-foot width at the top and a beach extending 100 feet from the seaward base of the dune.

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company of Oak Brook, Illinois, is handling the project for $57.6 million. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the project.