Hurricane Sandy

Jersey Shore Summer 2013: Beach Guide

Planning a vacation or just a day trip? Patch has all the information on the Shore's best beaches

More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes in the sand, are you wondering what will be accessible after Sandy? Need to know how much it will cost to buy badges to your favorite beach? Curious …

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Hurricane Sandy

Rebuilding Sea Bright's Boardwalk

The small boardwalk was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy

When most think about Sea Bright, they don't think "boardwalk." The mind tends to stray south to the Long Branch, Asbury Park, Belmar, Point Pleasant and Seaside boardwalks — some spanning oceanside miles, and others flush with amusements. Yet, though it never housed amusements or spanned miles, there was always a boardwalk at Sea Bright Public Beach. It was a little boardwalk nestled beside the beach that washed away with Hurricane Sandy nearly six months ago when the ocean and Shrewsbury River met. That boardwalk, however, is in the process of being rebuilt, running parallel, as it had before, to the beach and Sea Bright's new Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play playground. There's been a lot of progress on rebuilding the boards, which will …

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Pier Village Boardwalk Repairs Done

Boardwalk now fully open to public

The boardwalk at Pier Village has been repaired and is now accessible to the public. Construction began on Jan. 17 and took a little over a month to complete. Repairs includes concrete slope protection, railings, sand berm, landscaping and repair of the boardwalk's irrigation system. The Long Branch Council awarded a $194,380 contract to K.B.D. Construction LLC for the work in January. The Pier Village boardwalk was designed in a way that allowed the water to go underneath and then go back out to the ocean, so it was not as badly damaged as the boardwalk south of the Long Branch shopping center. Those repairs will be much more costly for the city, but FEMA is also expected to pay for the work. Officials have said the cost to rebuild the …

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Walk the Boards? Boardwalk Revamp Plans in Works

City still preparing bills for damage to boardwalk

Long Branch City officials are now estimating that work on the reconstruction of the city's boardwalk after it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy may not begin until next spring or early summer, at the earliest. "As far as nailing the first nail, I would say a minimum of 18 months," Long Branch Police Sgt. Charles Shirley, who also works with the city office of emergency management, said. Shirley said FEMA is just now asking the city for its bills for damages including debris removal, emergency measures and parks and recreation; the category the boardwalk falls under. Shirley said City Engineer Jerry Freda has already put together an estimate on what the boardwalk would cost to rebuild as it was, but that the cost is not yet finalized. …

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Christie: 'Belmar Is Leading The Way To Recovery'

Governor on hand for first phase of boardwalk rebuild

Gov. Chris Christie and a host of elected officials stood amid a still recovering Ocean Avenue in Belmar Wednesday to kick off the rebuilding of the borough’s boardwalk 73 days after Hurricane Sandy. Flanked by Mayor Matthew Doherty and U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Frank Pallone, Christie gave a decidedly upbeat speech to a crowd of more than 200 assembled in front of a massive pile driver as construction on the $6.6 million boardwalk commenced. Calling the Jersey Shore “the heartbeat of our state,’’ Christie said that Belmar was on the vanguard of shore towns rebuilding after the devastating storm. "Belmar is leading the way to recovery,'' Christie said. "Today is one of the great, great first moments of the rebuilding of our state, and, …

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PHOTOS: Long Branch Boardwalk Devastated

Boardwalk, promenade, Pier Village closed to public

  The Long Branch oceanfront has been devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Huge sections of the boardwalk have been washed away by the storm and it has been fenced off by the city. Pier Village and the promenade section of the boardwalk were not as badly damaged as the wooden boardwalk, but they have also been closed off by emergency personnel. Ocean Avenue between Seaview Avenue and Madison Avenue is covered in sand, but crews are now working to remove it. Several traffic lights are out on Ocean Boulevard and all entry to Monmouth Beach is prohibited at this time. The above pictures of the boardwalk area were taken Sunday afternoon.

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