Project will close 1,000 feet of beach at a time, late June to early August
PETERSBURG — “Bear with us as we endure the beach replenishment of 2026,” Upper Township Administrator Jimmy Van Zlike said May 11, noting the work is expected to last through early August. “This is the process it takes to get a brand new 1.3 million cubic yards of sand on your beach.”
Plans are moving ahead for the project on the island community of Strathmere to help stabilize its shoreline in the face of extreme and ongoing erosion.
Mayor Curtis Corson said he and Van Zlike attended a pre-construction meeting May 6 regarding the upcoming project.
He said officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection started monitoring the beaches for nesting birds May 11 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin survey work May 15.
Corson said sand would begin being pumped onto the beaches of Strathmere around June 24 in the vicinity of Williams Avenue.
“They need to get Williams opened up first so they can get product, pipe and other things to the beach because that’s our beach entrance they’re going to utilize,” he said.
Corson said officials anticipate moving about 200 feet per day and expect to be finished pumping Aug. 2 and have everything off the beach by Aug. 9. He warned that the dates are approximate, noting that storms could delay the work.
Van Zlike said about 1,000 feet of beach would be closed at a time.
“We are going to try to do everything in our power to restore beach access up until the dredge comes and the replenishment starts. After it starts, we’re probably going to have to operate decentralized operations, with a northern section and a southern section of the beach guarded with a segment in between closed,” he said.
Once the pipe is laid, crossovers will be built at street ends to get pedestrians to the ocean.
“Please do not climb or walk on the pipes. Everybody seems to think pipes are safe to walk on; they’re not safe to walk on,” Corson said.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew announced April 6 that southern New Jersey would receive $99 million from the Army Corps to replenish and protect key beaches in Strathmere, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Avalon and Stone Harbor early this summer.
After receiving $28 million in federal funding, the Army Corps announced April 10 that it is moving forward with the Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Townsends Inlet dune and beach fill project.
The base contract calls for dredging, pumping and placing more than 1.1 million cubic yards of sand from two borrow areas — one off of Corsons Inlet and the other about three miles offshore of Sea Isle.
About 863,000 cubic yards of sand will be pumped from Ocean Drive to Jasper Road (about 5,168 feet) in Strathmere.
The project is a joint effort of the Army Corps’s Philadelphia District, the DEP and the municipalities. Work is cost-shared (50 percent federal and 50 percent non-federal).
Van Zlike said Upper Township and Sea Isle must fund 25 percent of the $28 million non-federal share, or $7 million, split based on amount of sand. The township’s share is 74 percent, equating to about $5.25 million.
Township Committee introduced a $2.8 million bond ordinance May 11, part of which will fund a portion of the beach work.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
