Infrastructure protectionJersey shore towns build protection against future storms
Mantoloking and Brick townships in New Jersey were among the hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy. The storm also destroyed the natural dune barriers which offered a measure of protection. The two cities have decided to take action to minimize the damage of inflicted by a future storm: a $40 million project will see a steel wall —extending sixteen feet above the beach with a depth of thirty-two feet below the ground, and covered in sand to form an artificial dune — will run along the length of the two towns.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers build sand berms to protect against storm surge damage // Source: usace.army.mil
In order to prevent a repeat of the devastation wreaked by Superstorm Sandy, two Jersey shore towns are building a steel wall covered with sand to form a makeshift dune system.
The Star Ledger reports that Mantoloking and Brick were two of New Jersey’s hardest hit towns last October during the Superstorm. Both townships have decided to take a proactive approach to minimize the damage of future storms, and the work on the wall is expected to begin this fall.
Covered with sand, the steel wall will extend sixteen feet above the beach with a depth of thirty-two feet below the ground. Meant as a short-term protective measure, the $40 million project will run along the length of Mantoloking and Brick Township. This short-term protective project will be followed by an extensive beach widening and dune construction project being planned by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. The federal government is set to pay 80 percent of the cost of the steel wall, and the state will pay the remainder. Both towns are responsible for covering the steel wall with sand.
Of the about 128 oceanfront homeowners whose permission is required to begin the project, only five have signed easements, granting the government permission to access their land for the work. The borough plans to pay fair compensation for the land it acquires for this project, but with resistance from some homeowners, Mantoloking hired a lawyer in April to represent the borough in eminent domain cases. Some 521 homes were damaged in Superstorm Sandy, and until the construction of the steel wall begins, the borough is exposed for future storms. Currently, makeshift dunes of large walls of sand bulldozed by Mantoloking’s public works crew are expected to protect against any storm before a long-term system can be installed.
