Say it ain’t so. The State of NJ and the Army Corps of Engineers are prepping for round #2 of the infamous dune-boggle. In what could take all of 2018, contractors will install a citywide beach drainage and outfall pipe system.
This is an unprecedented, beach infrastructure project for the Downbeach area. A very large undertaking where a government agency will try to fix the problem they clearly created.
No guarantees that beach work won’t disrupt the 2018 summer season in Margate.
As usual, Army Corps spokesman Stephen Rochette spins the bad news: contractor will minimize impact on the community as construction progresses. We all know what that means.
Margate, Ventnor and Longport Dune / Beach Update
- Most of the dune building project in Margate has been completed. Diesel pumps and temporary drainage pipes are currently keeping the ‘dead zone’ dry during storms.
- In Ventnor, a city-wide dune now runs the length of the Boardwalk. Most of the newly ‘re-nourished’ beach in Ventnor has already been eroded away. Cross-overs and unsightly fencing are plenty.
- Ventnor needed to borrow / bond, in order to pay for the $475,000 replenishment bill.
- Longport is currently undergoing dune building. They hope their beaches are cleared of construction equipment by January 2018.
According to the Downbeach Current, the Army Corp anticipates construction of the Margate Outfall drainage system could take ALL of 2018 to complete.
Installation of outfall pipes will allow storm water to flow under the beach to the surf. Substantial beach and street flooding problems started when the Army Corp built the dune and raised the back-half of the beach.
Are Margate residents OK with another summer of disrupted beaches?
The upcoming outfall drainage project will feature a massive network of pipes and drains across the entire Margate beach, adjacent to the bulkheads.
Five 48-inch outfall pipes will help drain storm water to the ocean. The pipes will be mostly covered by the dune and berm system, until erosion and low-tides expose larger portions of the pipe and support structure. Concrete drains will collect storm water at the street-ends.
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The Army Corps, the DEP and Margate City are still working on the final beach outfall design.
The Army Corp says there will be five separate work areas. They claim this will minimize impact on beach-goers. It’s estimated to take about two months to construct each outfall unit. Delays and other setbacks are expected.
The Department of Environmental Protection “DEP and Margate agree to utilize their best efforts to try to persuade the Army Corps not to disrupt the 2018 summer season, which is understood to commence May 25, 2018 and Sept. 4, 2018, such disruption to be determined by Margate depending on the drainage project’s construction progress.
The Army Corps of Engineers have sole control over the construction contract and schedule.
The project will cost about $15 million, paid for by Hurricane Sandy recovery funds authorized by Congress and championed by local Downbeach resident, Congressman Frank Lobiondo.