By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – Expect two beaches to be closed at a time in the north end of Ocean City this summer as the city begins its beach replenishment program June 22.
The mayor announced the city had a pre-construction conference call with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on June 4 about the upcoming work on the north end beaches.
According to the mayor, the work will bring more than 1.4 million cubic yards of sand to some of the narrowest beaches on the island.
The work will start near Morningside Road, where the pipeline is coming from the “borrow area” offshore. Work will head south to 13th Street over the course of six weeks. The mayor said when that is complete, work will go north from Morningside to Seaview Road during another two weeks of road.
About two blocks of beach will be closed at a time as the replenishment project progresses, meaning there will be beach closures during the peak of the summer in a resort already hammered by restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the resort’s busiest beaches from north of the Music Pier at Moorlyn Terrace south the near the 14th Street fishing pier, will be affected.
“I understand that this will be an inconvenience,” Gillian wrote in a letter to the public, “but our beach replenishment program is funded largely by the federal Army Corps and the state Department of Environmental Protection, and we have to work with their schedule.
“As I’m sure you are all aware, these beaches desperately need sand and this work provides protection for all of our properties. As always, I want to thank our partners for this vital work.”
