Politics & Government

2014 Forecast for Ocean City Beach, Bay, Boardwalk and Road Projects

Updates on south end beach replenishment, Second Street marina project, bayside dredging, boardwalk replacement, Merion Park streets and City Hall.

As Ocean City continues to invest big in capital improvements, it might seem in 2014 that just about everything in town is under construction — from land and sea, to roads and buildings.

Mayor Jay Gillian's administration has committed to spend $10 million per year (with half spent on roads and drainage alone).

Here are updates on some of the major projects in the works:

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

SOUTH END BEACH REPLENISHMENT: The Army Corps of Engineers will go out to bid in early January for a project to rebuild beaches and dunes at the severely eroded south end of Ocean City, according to Ocean City Business Administrator Mike Dattilo. The project is still on track to start in March or early spring.

The federal government will pick up the full estimated $63 million cost of the initial project, which will include Strathmere (Upper Township) and Sea Isle City. The project area would then be part of a three-year maintenance cycle with the Army Corps of Engineers returning to restore the beaches to the initial project dimensions.

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The federal government pays for 65 percent of the program, while the state Department of Environmental Protection picks up the other 35 percent. Of the state's portion, Ocean City is required to contribute 25 percent. That leaves Ocean City responsible for only 8.75 percent of the total cost for subsequent projects.

BOARDWALK REPLACEMENT: The 500 block of the Ocean City Boardwalk is on schedule to be complete by a Palm Sunday (April 13, 2014) deadline. The project is part of a seven-year effort to replace the substructure and decking of the boardwalk between Fifth and 12th streets.

CITY HALL: A reconstructed and improved first floor of City Hall is expected to reopen by March 1, according to Dattilo. The building at Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue was flooded and damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

MERION PARK:  A plan for major drainage and street improvements in the flood-prone neighborhood is near complete, and a meeting with neighbors will be scheduled for the second week in January.

BAYSIDE DREDGING: A project to deepen lagoons and channels on the bay side of Ocean City is stalled. A contractor hired for $1.8 million to dredge between 15th and 34th streets never returned in 2013 after failing to complete the job by a 2012 deadline. The city is trying to avoid litigation and negotiating with the contractor, Hydro-Marine Construction Inc. of Hainesport. Meanwhile, the city continues to explore all options to get the job done, according to Dattilo. One issue is finding an adequate site to dump dredge spoils (an existing site near 34th Street may be full ... and the city is looking to expand a smaller site near the Route 52 causeway).

SECOND STREET MARINA: A contract for a proposed public-private partnership to develop a marina at a small bayside park at Second Street was never executed. The city — which leases the county-owned open space for $1 a year — is exploring other options for public uses of the land, according to Dattilo.

SEVENTH AND EIGHTH STREET ROAD CONSTRUCTION: Already a half-year behind schedule, contractors have run into new problems, and paving work now may not be complete until the spring, according to Dattilo.


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