Crews building a 3.5-mile-long steel barrier to protect the northern Barnegat Peninsula, which was devastated by Superstorm Sandy, have completed their steel sheet piling work in Mantoloking and are close to the end of that task in neighboring Brick.
According to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin , “ This vulnerable segment of New Jersey’s coastline will be made significantly stronger by this project, especially when coupled with the impending construction of a new dune system and rebuilding of beaches by the Army Corps of Engineers. This is an important piece of the Christie Administration’s comprehensive strategy for making our coast more resilient to future storms. ’’
Work on this $23.8 million project began in July. The project remains on schedule, with all of the remaining steel sheets to be driven into the beaches in Brick by mid-November.
In Mantoloking, the last 45-foot -high section of marine-grade sheet piling was driven into the beach at the border of Brick and Mantoloking, across from the Curtis Point area, last week. The driving of sheet piling is now being conducted by three different crews in Brick, with the most vulnerable section of Brick’s beach – adjacent to Camp Osborn – already protected by steel sheets.
“ Significant effort is being made to move the revetment project forward and expedite the vital protections that it provides our barrier island and mainland residents and structures ,” said Brick Township Mayor John G. Ducey . “ The patience and consideration of those impacted by the work is appreciated. It is taking time, but the long term benefits clearly outweigh the short term inconvenience.”
The project extends from Lyman Street in Mantoloking and runs south to the southern end of coastal Brick. After the steel sheets are driven into the sand they are covered with an epoxy-coated steel cap. The section where the project started, adjacent to Herbert Street, in Mantoloking, is capped and already covered with sand.
The completed sheet piling project will be incorporated into a dune system as part of a beach construction project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will provide protection for nine Ocean County municipalities on the peninsula hard hit by Sandy.
The engineered beach project, one of seven to be done by the Army Corps as part of the state’s comprehensive coastal protection system, is expected to commence in March.
[mappress mapid=”18971″]
Press Release