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NWW Sea Wall

816 views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Eric G  
#1 ·
Does anyone know when construction on the seawall will begin? I heard about a month ago that is was sopposed to begin in Mid Jan, but that didnt happen.
 
#3 ·
NORTH WILDWOOD - Reconstruction of the seawall bordering Hereford Inlet is approved to begin this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced at a well-attended public meeting at the Rec Center on Jan. 13.
The Corps of Engineers is managing work on the wall by Agate Construction Company, of Ocean View. Agate will fortify and raise the 8,800-foot-long barrier with stone, concrete and underwater geotextile marine mattresses to decrease erosion. The expected completion date for the project is June 30, 2007.
The city will close Pine Street behind Moore's Inlet during phase one construction this week until June 30, 2006, but will keep the New York Avenue end of Pine Street open for condo residents needing to access their properties.
Work will be done in three phases until June of 2007. Phase one should begin this week on the middle-section of the seawall between Olde New Jersey Avenue and Anglesea. Phase two is scheduled to begin July 2006 and last 180 days on the seawall between Olde New Jersey Avenue and the ocean, at the intersection of JFK Boulevard and Second Avenue. Phase three is also expected to last 180 days on the northern-most part of the wall in the Anglesea section of the city.

A resident who owns a bait shop expressed that the construction will stifle business until July 2006 because fishermen won't be able to access the middle section of the seawall. Another resident asked if fishermen will be able to fish at the seawall.
Ben Keiser, supervising project engineer for the state Department of Environmental Protection, responded to both questions, saying sections of the beach won't be accessible during construction, but the entire beach along the seawall won't be closed all at once.

Keiser said all parties involved will try to find solutions about any concerns that residents express to city hall. The city, the DEP, Army Corps and Agate Construction have worked carefully to reduce inconvenience to the public during the project to repair the crumbling wall, Keiser said.
"We are tripling the size of the wall 40 to 50 feet beneath the water," said Army Corps project engineer Keith Watson. Construction will begin in the deepest part of the ocean with the strongest current. The Army Corps is installing geotextile marine mattresses cushioned in rock to secure the wall and to help prevent erosion.
Keiser said the Army Corps is managing all construction and funding 65 percent of the nearly $26 million project. Of the remaining 35 percent, the state DEP is footing 75 percent of the bill and the city 25 percent.
"The state's portion is funded 100 percent," said Keiser. "It's already locked in. Congress has appropriated all money for fiscal year 2005 and we expect them to proceed with the funding commitment each year."
When a resident asked Keiser if there was a time limit on the project, he said the funding schedule allows 2.5 years to complete the project.
Watson said the most active zone until July 2006 will be behind Moore's Inlet.
"Only construction areas and a safety buffer around the work area will be closed," he said.
Agate Construction trucks carrying stone will travel down New York Avenue to Pine Avenue and out the same route, he said.
According to Watson, the Corps and Agate Construction will monitor the effects of vibrations on homes in work areas within 300 to 400 feet.
"The project has large stones and there'll be noise and vibration," Watson said. "We will monitor vibrations as a precautionary measure. Certain levels could cause damage to homes, but it's never happened."
The city owns most of the property being reconstructed in phases one and two, but must obtain construction easements from property owners in the phase three area in the Anglesea section of the city. Property owners will receive letters requesting construction easements of 15 to 25 feet that will expire when construction is completed.
The city is also requesting perpendicular easements from property owners allowing permanent access to and from seawall that are mostly in common areas at street ends. State funding from the DEP requires permanent access for every quarter mile of the project.
Watson said the Corps and Agate Construction will use cranes on barges to repair the middle of the seawall in the deep water portion during phase one. Rich Marzucco, project manager for Agate Construction, said they'll transport 30,000 odd tons of greystone by water from a quarry in Maryland and about 40,000 tons by land from a quarry in Malvern, Pa., which will enter North Wildwood via trucks on the New York Avenue to Pine Avenue route. They'll also exit that route.
"Agate has accommodated our concerns on prior projects and we'll continue to expect that," Watson said.
The seawall will be raised about two to four feet on average in Anglesea, but it will vary, Watson said. Most of the work will be done at the toe, or bottom, of the existing structure below the sand level.
"We're building the slope of the structure further out into the ocean," he said. "The wall will be generally 16 feet wide at the top and 30 to 50 feet wide at the toe."
The reconstruction will not change the currents near the seawall, Watson said. The project won't cause hydrodynamics or the sediment and transport to change, they continually change over time.
Maps of the project are available for review at city hall.

[ 02-09-2005, 09:13 AM: Message edited by: Eric G ]