Belmar Residents Hopeful As Construction Continues On New Boardwalk
BELMAR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Work continued this weekend in Belmar, N.J., on the new $6 million boardwalk to replace the one destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.
As WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported, the boardwalk is a the heart of the shore community, and its beat is the sound of new wooden pilings being driven into the sand.
Belmar Residents Hopeful As Construction Continues On New Boardwalk
"It's our springtime. It's a new beginning," said Jessica Hoberman of Toms River. "It's a beginning of what we're going to have – a great brand new boardwalk -- and I'm just really excited."
Hoberman lost her home to Sandy.
"I had water, I had two trees on my house and then a fire, because the electrical lines went out," she said. "So I'm in the midst of rebuilding."
Seeing the Belmar boardwalk coming back gave Hoberman hope.
"And it's wonderful that we're all coming together to say let's move along here. It's in the past," she said. "We've got to make things bigger, brighter, faster, more."
Most of the 1.3-mile Belmar boardwalk was destroyed in superstorm Sandy.
Construction crews will drive thousands of pilings into the sand far deeper than the old boardwalk, making the new structure more resilient.
The old boardwalk's pilings were only about eight feet down, while the new structure's pilings are being put down 25 feet to withstand future storms.
The city approved a $20 million bond to rebuild the boardwalk by Memorial Day and had been accepting donations to help with the construction costs.
The project will cost about $6.6 million and is due to be complete by the end of April.
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