Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
Steep cliffs in the north end of Strathmere, some as high as 7 feet, have led Upper Township to close off beach access paths. Officials hope a replenishment project approved for next year will help the situation.
Erosion has long been an issue at the north end of the beachfront section of Upper Township, close to Corsons Inlet. At times, the water has gotten close to beachfront homes.
UPPER TOWNSHIP — Help is on the way for the eroded north end of Strathmere, where the tides and ocean surge have cut deep cliffs in the dunes.
But help will not arrive this summer.
Township officials recently closed off beach access on two streets, where the erosion has created a steep drop at the end of the beach paths, and put up yellow warning tape on another block.
A federal beach project is set for 2023, township engineer Paul Dietrich reported at the Monday Township Committee meeting, but he said the beach access will most likely remain closed through the rest of the summer.
Erosion has long been an issue at the north end of the beachfront section of Upper Township, close to Corsons Inlet.
At times, the water has gotten close to beachfront homes.
Paul Dietrich gingerly stepped over a downed snow fence and yellow caution tape whipping in …
Now, there are sand dunes between the roads and homes and the ocean waves, although at high tide there is little beach in the area.
“We’ve closed two additional beach entrances, probably for the remainder of the season,” Dietrich said.
The beach access at Seaview Avenue has been closed since the spring. More recently, dune fence has been put in place at Seacliff Avenue and Winthrop Road nearby. The beach access at Williams Avenue, near the headquarters of the Upper Township Beach Patrol, remains open, but about 100 feet of yellow warning tape has been put in place on the beach to direct visitors to the south, away from the erosion-formed cliffs.
In this section, the drop is less than a foot, but farther up the beach, where the other paths are closed, the drop appears more than 7 feet from the dune to the beach in sections.
The new replenishment is set to start in 2023, Dietrich said, part of a project that will include adding sand to beaches in the south end of Ocean City and in Sea Isle City, which shares the barrier island with Strathmere.
The total project is set to cost about $32 million, Dietrich said. He did not have a breakdown of how much of that would go specifically toward the Strathmere beach.
They were put in place last month as part of a threefold event for the Strathmere Improvemen…
“It’s very fortunate that we were able to secure that additional beach funding, otherwise it would have been a difficult summer next year,” he said at the meeting.
He said the township will keep a close eye on the Williams Avenue access, which is one of two beach entrances that are considered accessible under the standards of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
An outline of beach projects posted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which works with the Army Corps of Engineers on beach replenishment work, indicates the next phase of the work will take place in 2023. Also that year, additional sand is expected to be added to beaches in Ocean City’s north end, the latest addition of sand since the first project in 1993.
On Tuesday morning, Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio also told City Council about the upcoming project. He said he received notice from the DEP.
“This will be our second round of beach replenishment under our 50-year federal program for shore protection, which started in 2015,” Desiderio said.
The Army Corps has a 50-year commitment to keep adding sand to the beaches, the pattern for major beach replenishment projects since the first Army Corps project in Cape May in 1991.
According to a project fact sheet posted by the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District, the project was authorized in 2007 but was not funded until an emergency authorization after Superstorm Sandy, approved in 2013.
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
UPPER TOWNSHIP — The future could get darker as township officials consider reducing the amount of artificial light.
UPPER TOWNSHIP — Since the start of summer, Township Committee member Jay Newman has made a plea for safety at the start of every meeting.
WILDWOOD — From the railing of the Boardwalk, with the ocean shining in the distance, it may seem like the last thing the city needs is a beac…
UPPER TOWNSHIP — For eons, the ability of piping plovers, terns and other beach nesting birds to blend in with the sand has served as protecti…
With nearly two months left before the hurricane season of 2020 ends Nov. 30, and the winter storm season waiting in the wings after that, mos…
Sign up for a digital subscription to The Press of Atlantic City now and take advantage of a great offer.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
Steep cliffs in the north end of Strathmere, some as high as 7 feet, have led Upper Township to close off beach access paths. Officials hope a replenishment project approved for next year will help the situation.
Erosion has long been an issue at the north end of the beachfront section of Upper Township, close to Corsons Inlet. At times, the water has gotten close to beachfront homes.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.