Pallone: Jersey Shore To Get 'Largest Ever' Beach Replenishment Project
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A massive beach replenishment project will soon be under way at Jersey Shore beaches.
Over the past several decades, Mother Nature slowly chipped away at the Jersey Shore beaches. The knockout punch came in the form of superstorm Sandy.
"A lot of damage was done by the storm. We estimate that the beach was flattened on average between five and 10 feet," Rep. Frank Pallone told WCBS 880's Jim Smith.
The congressman said the defenses are going back up in the "largest beach replenishment project in the history of the country."
Pallone: Jersey Shore To Get 'Largest Ever' Beach Replenishment Project
The project will stretch from Sea Bright to Manasquan and is expected to be completed by early next year.
"We could have another hurricane or nor'easter and we want to get it done as quickly as we can so there is some protection," Pallone told Smith.
The $102 million project by the Army Corps of Engineers will widen and raise beaches up to nine feet by early next year.
"It protects the upland area, particularly the roads, the utilities, the infrastructure," said Pallone.
Pallone said the replenishment will put beaches back above pre-Sandy heights.
"This will take it back to the original profile when the beaches were replenished in the 90s," he told Smith.
The project will be completely paid for with federal Sandy relief money, said Pallone.
Work is scheduled to begin this summer, Smith reported. Some beaches may be closed in 1,000-foot stretches to accommodate the project.
It was also announced over the weekend that some Staten Island beaches ravaged by Sandy are getting some restoration help.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is targeting $5.9 million toward raising sand levels including dune restoration at New Dorp Beach, South Beach, Cedar Grove and Oakwood. The funding is coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The contract for the work is expected to be given out shortly, with the work to start soon after it has been awarded.
Cuomo announced the project on Saturday.
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