With a loud “whoosh,” sand being pumped from a dredge boat a mile offshore thunders through the pipes on the beach. At the end, tons of water and sand fly out and through a screen that ensures no foreign objects make it to the beachfront.
Some beachgoers played supervisor on Tuesday, watching over the project as crews managed the heavy equipment and pushed sand to expand the beaches in the Normandy Beach neighborhood in Brick Township. Just feet away from the project, a sea wall is exposed from winter storms. Officials say with the new dune in place – which will be topped with acres of dune grass during the fall transplanting season – the sea wall will be permanently buried and only serve as a barrier in the worst of storms in case the dune becomes too battered.
Officially, 8th Avenue; Brick Beach III Vehicular and ADA Crossovers are under construction, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Dredge boats were continuing to pump sand in northern Normandy Beach on Tuesday. The project will next move to the north beaches of Toms River, currently estimated for an early to mid-July start date.
