Sea Bright Beach Replenishment Could be Coming Sooner Than Expected

Sea Bright and Sandy Hook's Hurricane Sandy-depleted beaches could be replenished sooner than most expected.

Officials at a recent Long Branch meeting said that was likely the case after meeting with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And they spread the good news.

"We had very good news about the sand replenishment which could be moving forward more quickly than we thought," Long Branch Administrator Howard Woolley said during Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

Woolley said a recent meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers, which handles beach replenishment projects, revealed that the project could be bid out in May.

It's the latest news on the comprehensive Sandy relief package that was passed by congress in January and included the record-breaking large-scale beach replenishment project, phase one of which will span the Sandy-devastated shoreline from Sandy Hook to Asbury Park.

Sea Bright was recently the recipient of an $8.5 million replenishment project that had been okayed before Hurricane Sandy. After more than a million cubic yards of sand was pumped onto the beaches, it washed away with high tides and the nor'easter.

Officials in Sea Bright have been counting on a good summer, since Sandy whiped out most businesses and revenue-generating tourism. Some of the Sandy Hook beaches are slated for opening May 1.

Some of Sea Bright's private beach clubs are rebuilding and beach badges for the public beach have been on sale at half price.

Woolley said he was optimistic that the sand replenishment could happen soon, but said the Army Corps of Engineers still needs to come up with a design for what they are going to build based on how much sand is there and how much they will need to bid out for the project.

"They are working like hell to get this thing done," he said.

Woolley said "forensic engineering" will also be performed to determine if the Army Corps of Engineers actually installed the now-damaged sea wall. If if is determined that they did, Woolley said they may be able to help repair and maintain it.

The sea wall in northern Sea Bright was heavily damaged during the nor'easter. It was determined that there were holes in the very old structure and loose rocks that were probably dislodged during Sandy and the more recent storm.

The result was a forced closure of norther Ocean Avenue for a couple of weeks to clear the road of sand and flooding.