Ocean Gate Poised To Repair Boardwalk Pummeled By Sandy, Install Sea Wall

More than half of the Ocean Gate boardwalk was lifted up or simply ripped off when Superstorm Sandy hit this tiny borough on Oct. 29.

But borough officials are moving forward. The Borough Council recently authorized Mayor Paul J. Kennedy to sign a $628,000 contract with Ohio-based Signature Bridge to remove or replace the damaged sections

Roughly 65 percent of the graceful 1.5 mile boardwalk that once curved along the mouth of the Toms River and Barnegat Bay was damaged by the storm, along with half of the borough's 1,100 homes.

"In the meantime the borough engineer is putting specs and plans together for three more projects along our beachfront," Kennedy said.

A $1.2 million sea wall will be installed in front of the boardwalk, once the boardwalk work is finished, the mayor said.

"This PVC wall will protect our boardwalk and homeowners properties along the river front," Kennedy said.

The borough also plans to put a sand berm in front of the completed boardwalk and seawall, a recommendation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said.

Beach prisms will be installed at several locations where the beach washed away, once the state Department of Environmental Protection approves the borough's Coastal Areas Facilities Review Act permit, Kennedy said.

The prisms are permeable, precast concrete products that reduce the amount of energy in incoming waves before the waves reach the shoreline. Waves pass through the specially designed slots in the triangular three-to-four feet tall prisms, according to Smith Midland, the firm Ocean Gate is working with.

The borough has already applied for FEMA reimbursement for a number of repairs, including $471,000 for debris removal, $320,000 for sand replacement and $18,500 for water and sewer repairs, the mayor said.

The next FEMA filing will include $1 million for the boardwalk, $350,000 for the sand berm, $1.5 million for the seawall and $600,000 for municipal buildings, Kennedy said.