Stone Harbor & Avalon Beach Fill Updates

Avalon/Stone Harbor Beach Fill Update ~ March 23, 2017

Avalon and Stone Harbor officials attended the weekly beach fill project progress meeting in Avalon on Thursday, March 23rd.  Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company reports that the dredge “Texas” has placed 230,000 cubic yards of sand on the north end beaches in Avalon as of midnight last night.  This beach fill requires 940,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed in the project area from 9th Street south to the northern limits of 30th Street.  That leaves a volume of 710,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed on the Avalon beachfront which is essentially 24 days of work.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers and Great Lakes announced at the meeting that there will be work conducted on the Avalon beaches (weather and equipment permitting) until the end of next week.  At that time, “Texas” will depart the Avalon work site to finish a beach fill project in Cape May.  The Cape May project has involved the dredge “Illinois” which will depart Cape May for a project in North Carolina.  The “Texas” must leave Avalon to complete the work still remaining in Cape May due to restrictions placed by the Fish and Wildlife Service before a piping plover restriction becomes effective.  It is necessary for Great Lakes to finish this project by April 19th in Cape May before the dredge comes back to Avalon to resume the Avalon beach fill project.  By contract, Great Lakes needs to finish the Avalon portion of this joint beach fill project by May 23rd, and finish the next phase of the project involving the very southerly limits of Avalon and northern Stone Harbor by June 22nd.  The dredge is expected to return to Avalon before the end of April and continue pumping sand until the project is complete in advance of the May 23rd deadline.

The Corps and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will both be coordinating the return of the “Texas” back to Avalon upon the completion of the work in Cape May.  Avalon, Stone Harbor, and all coastal communities have a past practice of working together to make sure that beach projects are coordinated and completed with the available equipment and with the various restrictions and interruptions that can include environmental concerns, unsafe weather conditions, and mechanical issues on the dredges.

Stone Harbor will continue to provide updates on this website when necessary.

Click the Link Below to view comparison of Stone Harbor Beach from January 12, 2017 to March 9, 2017

Stone Harbor Beach Comparison January 12, 2017 to March 9, 2017

Stone Harbor Beach Fill Update as of March 16, 2017

The beach fill project resumed this weekend in Avalon.   As of last week, 135,112 cubic yards of sand has been placed on the north end beaches near 9th Street in Avalon.  Prior to this 385,160cy was placed on Stone Harbor beaches from 123rd Street and tapering off at 105th Street.   The Avalon portion of the beach fill project has approximately 32 days remaining; that schedule is also dependent on safe weather conditions and the mechanical condition of the dredge.  A post-storm survey was completed on March 16th to assess the damage created by last Tuesday’s coastal storm.

In Stone Harbor, crossovers have been repaired as far as the 104th Street beach, by the end of the day on March 16th.  Contractor will stop at 105th and not repair any other crossovers until they begin the additional replenishment in Stone Harbor.   Beach crossover work will begin on the repaired beaches in Avalon in approximately ten days.  The work crew will repair the crossovers as the new beach is being built.

The final component to this beach fill project will begin after Avalon’s beaches are complete.   When the bulk of the Avalon beach fill project ends in approximately five weeks, there will be a two day start to the next phase of the project.  The sand will be placed on the Avalon beachfront first, before the work is conducted in Stone Harbor.  The dredge pipe will be submerged from Townsend’s Inlet in the ocean to the landing zone located at the 83rd Street beach in Stone Harbor.  The project in southern Avalon and from 80th Street to 105th in Stone Harbor should take no more than 23 days to complete after it begins.  The anticipated end date would be June 17th.

The Dredge “Texas” has arrived in the early afternoon of February 14th, 2017.  Mobilization along Stone Harbor beachfront is in place and pumping of sand back onto our beaches should begin within a few hours of the arrival of the dredge “Texas”.   Over 4,000 feet of submerged pipeline has been laid in preparation of the beach replenishment project.   Fill progress will be monitored once dredging begins and updates will be provided as they become available.

Beach Fill Update February 2 2017

Beach Replenishment Project  Awarded for 2017

The Borough of Stone Harbor is pleased to announce that a contract has been awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, which will use the dredge “Texas” to perform this nourishment.

The dredge “Texas” owned and operated by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, LLC will be conducting the beach fill project in Avalon and Stone Harbor

On Tuesday January 10, 2017a pre-construction conference was held to summarize the project, introduce personnel administering the project and discuss anticipated construction issues before project begins. In attendance were representatives from USACE, Prime Contractor – Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, NJDEP, Avalon and Stone Harbor.

Mobilization for the beach fill project has begun in Stone Harbor, and the beach fill project is expected to take about four weeks to complete. Following the Stone Harbor project, the hydraulic pumping of sand from Townsend’s Inlet onto the Avalon beaches will begin.

Stone Harbor is scheduled to receive 210,000 cubic yards of beach fill along the Atlantic Coast shorefront. Pre-placement condition surveys will determine the exact location and quantity of beach fill material required within the limits indicated and will be a determining factor in the award of options for additional quantities of beach fill. The Borough has selected to authorize an additional 180,000 cubic yards at our own expense.

The base bid work includes, in addition to beach fill, re-construction of soil aggregate handicap, pedestrian, and vehicle crossovers; installation of split rail fence; repair of timber handicap dune crossovers; sand fence installation; and planting of dune grass.

The contractor may work 24 hours per day, seven days per week to complete the contract work. However the Contractor shall be required to comply with local codes regarding noise at all times during the contract period.

The first weekly progress meeting was held Thursday, 1/19/17 at 10am at the Stone Harbor Fire House. At this meeting Stone Harbor was advised that the Mobilization of equipment has begun and pipe has been laid on the 117^{t h.} Street Beach.  The 123^rd Street Parking lot will be used as the staging area for this project. They will first pump to the North then finish south of 117^th Street.  Due to weather concerns Great Lakes anticipates dredging to begin on 1/27/17 from the Hereford Inlet Borrow Area.

Weekly progress meetings on this project will be held with Borough officials and updates will be provided as they become available.