Dune Project Returns To Ortley Beach (Video)

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The wait is finally over for Ortley Beach: the full beach replenishment project is underway.

A year after a preliminary beach fill project was done to give Ortley Beach some protection during the fall hurricane and winter nor'easter seasons, the Army Corps of Engineers is back in the section of the barrier island that was hardest hit during Superstorm Sandy.

The full beach replenishment will include dunes and a widening of the beach to afford more protection in storms, something homeowners in this part of Toms River have been awaiting for nearly six years.

Toms River Township Engineer Robert Chankalian shared video taken from a drone on Wednesday of the work by contractor Weeks Marine underway on the beach.

The work on the $128 million project is being done in 1,000-foot sections so as to avoid closing the entire beach. There are four dredges — two multiple-suction hopper dredges and two pipeline dredges — in operation.

Township officials said they will provide daily progress updates including a map of beach closures.

"Please note: The Township does not control the scheduling of this project. This courtesy map is prepared as guide based on a daily mooring inspection on the issuance date. The closure areas are subject to shifting throughout the day as work progresses," officials said in a post on the township's Facebook page. Click here for those updates.

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Photo from video by Toms River Township Engineer Robert Chankalian