News Release
October 22, 2013
DR-4086-NJ NR-228
FEMA News Desk: 877-434-4084
NJOEM PIO Contact: 609-963-6818
BEACHES AND BOARDWALKS: RESTORING
THE JERSEY SHORE’S LIFELINES
LINCROFT, N.J. – Boardwalks are the backbone of many of New Jersey’s shore communities. Often
lined with shops, amusements and restaurants, and serving as the main access points to beaches,
boardwalks are the magnets that attract tourists to beach towns.
The United States’ first boardwalk was built in Atlantic City in
1870. The brainchild of rail conductor Alexander Boardman and
hotel owner Jacob Keim, its stated purpose was to keep visitors to
the resort from tracking sand from the beach back into the hotels
and onto the train cars.
For many shore towns affected by Superstorm Sandy, rebuilding the
beaches and boardwalks – and rebuilding them by the start of the
summer tourist season – became a top priority.
The Federal Emergency Management Authority has obligated $79
million in aid for 84 boardwalk and beach repair projects.
Communities up and down the Jersey Shore employed different
methods of beach replenishment and protection.
Some municipalities constructed timber bulkheads, large rock walls
Seaside Heights, N.J., May 14, 2013 -- Demolition
and/or concrete seawalls. To stabilize their dunes, some placed
of the Jet Star roller coaster in Seaside Heights, NJ
geotubes (tubes filled with sand and water wrapped in geotextile
was taking less time than anticipated, as debris
placed on a large barge for removal from the
fabric) and gabions (wire baskets filled with large rocks) underneath was
ocean. The roller coaster and three other
the dunes. Geotubes have been used on the north end of Ocean City attractions were plunged into the sea from the
partially destroyed Casino Pier during Sandy last
and along Cape May’s beaches. Gabions were used in the West
October. Photo by Sharon Karr/FEMA
Atlantic City portion of Little Egg Harbor. Officials in these and
other shore communities credited those measures with protecting homes and residents from Sandy.
Mantoloking and Brick Township are two communities now considering using geotubes.
(MORE)
ONE YEAR LATER: BEACHES AND BOARDWALKS: RESTORING THE – PAGE 2
Atlantic City’s boardwalk suffered its most severe
damage to the section that borders Absecon Inlet,
between Oriental and Maine avenues. FEMA
obligated $2.5 million to repair and replace the
boardwalk, ramps, railings, and lifeguard and
comfort stations. A new seawall is also being built
along the Absecon Inlet section of the boardwalk.
Atlantic City and neighboring Ventnor will receive
a combined 2 million cubic yards of sand to
replenish the beaches in both communities.
Brigantine used 630,000 cubic yards of sand to
replenish its beach.
Atlantic City, N.J., Feb. 5, 2013 -- The old boardwalk, which was severely
damaged by Sandy, has been removed. Photo by Liz Roll/FEMA
Parts of Long Beach Island had 22-foot-high dunes
and a 200-foot berm in front of coastal homes. The Sandy Disaster Relief Act will provide funds for the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete the project on the whole island. Three million cubic yards of
sand were dredged and pumped onto the beach. Repairs were also made to the boardwalk, sand fence
and access roads at Island Beach State Park. The Corps is also making first-time beach restorations in
Ship Bottom, Beach Haven and Long Beach Township, areas not protected by the original dunes and
berm on the island.
Belmar’s 1.3-mile boardwalk and everything on it was destroyed by Sandy. Construction started in
January and the new boardwalk opened May 22. FEMA covered $7.6 million of the $10 million cost of
the project. Belmar is also designing a new $6 million dune system to protect the new boardwalk.
FEMA obligated $1.6 million for the
reconstruction of Sea Girt’s boardwalk.
Parts of the boardwalk that were damaged
will be repaired using salvaged boards and
rails. A 2,335-foot section will be rebuilt
as the second phase of the project. The
municipality is also rebuilding its dunes,
which prevented serious damage to homes
but took the brunt of the storm surge. The
new dunes are expected to be more than
20 feet high.
Spring Lake’s boardwalk, which had been
seriously damaged by Hurricane Irene in
Sea Girt, N.J., Jan. 16, 2013 -- Sandy's storm surge penetrated the boardwalk systems
and there are several missing sections up and down the State's shorelines. Photo by
2011, was hit again by Sandy. The storm
Adam DuBrowa/FEMA
pushed the boardwalk off its supports,
damaged several support piles, and completely washed away the dunes protecting the boardwalk and
town. FEMA reimbursed the borough for $4.1 million of the $5.5 million cost of rebuilding the
boardwalk. The new boardwalk, made of a composite wood, was completed in April.
(MORE)
ONE YEAR LATER: BEACHES AND BOARDWALKS: RESTORING THE – PAGE 3
Seaside Heights had to take out a $14 million emergency appropriation loan to pay for essential repairs
to its boardwalk and other areas after Sandy. Construction on the boardwalk began in mid-February, and
a six-block section of the mile-long boardwalk was completed in early May. The main section reopened
days before Memorial Day, and the $7.6 million reconstruction was completed in mid-June. Mayor
William Akers has also suggested that a seawall may be built, though no decision has been made, and as
a new project, it would be ineligible for FEMA funding.
Not all of the boardwalks along the shore have been restored. The older southern portion of the Long
Branch boardwalk will not be rebuilt until 2014. “My goal isn’t to get it done quickly, it’s to make sure
it is done right,” Mayor Adam Schneider said in December.
FEMA is covering $6.2 million of the $8.2 million cost of various repair projects in Long Branch,
including completely rebuilding the southern section and repairing damage to the northern section.
While the newer northern section, including Pier Village and the Long Branch Promenade, did not
escape Sandy unscathed, Schneider said that section of boardwalk was designed to survive a hurricane,
“and it did.”
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Video-links: Long Beach Island, NJ Beach Replenishment, Roller Coaster Removed From Ocean,
New Jersey Bird Environment After Sandy
Next, the One Year Later series examines the restoration of the Atlantic Highlands Harbor, a vital link
to lower Manhattan.
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