Dune Crossover Work to Begin in Ortley Beach

Progress on the third day of a beach replenishment project in Ortley Beach, N.J., May 31, 2017. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Initial work to set up new dune crossovers will begin soon in Ortley Beach, Toms River officials announced Tuesday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “will be performing some preparatory work on the dune walkovers as part of the upcoming dune project,” the township said in a statement.

During the work, a walkover may be temporally taken out of service for safety reasons, however access to the beach will remain open using the adjacent walkovers, according to officials. 

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After the dunes are constructed and have been vegetated with dune grass, beach entrances in Ortley will have a new look.

There will be no more stairs down to the sand; instead, there will be a gradual slope at a 45 degree angle to make sure there is no direct path for waves to funnel sea water through the dune line.

“In the fall, when the new dune gets built, the staircases and ramps will be taken off,” said Township Engineer Robert Chankalian.

The boardwalk will remain in place, Chankalian said, as will the “bridges” that jut out from the boardwalk. But the stairs will be replaced with a natural, packed-sand entrance that is similar to the style of entrances used in Long Beach Island.