Congressman Jim Saxton

LONG BEACH ISLAND

& Barnegat Bay Area Projects

The History of Long Beach Island Beach Replenishment

(updated Aug. 11, 2006)

Welcome Friend!

Long Beach Island is an 18-mile long barrier island. It is a popular summer destination in the Northeast, and its powdery white sand has often landed it among the ranks of finest beaches in the country. In the off-season, thousands of year-round residents call the island home. Tourism, rentals, shops, restaurants and recreational fishing are the key industries on the island.

Dodging the Bullet

I was on LBI with the late Mayor Jim Mancini in 2003 as Hurricane Isabel missed our island. It showed us all the need for real beach protection to avert a catastrophe to the entire community.

Below are some press releases of the fight to get LBI beach replenishment funds.

Storms in 1991 and 1992 battered the island, and we've never fully recovered. Since 1993, I've worked to bring $3.3 million to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to engineer permanent beach protection.

A Huge Step in 2000

We won a major victory in 2000, when Congress authorized the project with the federal government paying 65 percent of the costs, and with state picking up 35 percent (one of the last such rations in the country for new construction).

More Progress in 2003

The plan to build a 17-mile long berm on Long Beach Island took a huge leap forward on November 18, 2003, when the House passed the required approval of the start of construction, plus $1 million to begin construction. (I note that Mayor Mancini, a tireless advocate for the LBI project, passed away on the same day.)

Project Status in 2004

The House set aside another $750,000 for construction of the LBI project in the FY2005 budget.

$5 Million & More Leaps Forward in Spring/Summer 2005

In May, I was pleased to have added another $5 million in the House’s FY2006 budget, enough to actually start construction. Subsequently, the Senate agreed to add the funding. By August, the Project Cooperation Agreement was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and then approved by the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection. Congress will take up final passage of the FY2006 budget in the fall of 2005.

Construction Officially Starts in 2005! Leads to 2006 funds, 2007 funds…

On Sept. 23, 2005 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer awarded a contract for the first phase of construction to truck an estimated 16,000 tons of sand to an eroded, four-block area in Harvey Cedars. The contractor mobilized on site Sept. 26 for 45 days of moving sand and repairing the beach. This start was critical to enable me to work with the administration to add $5M in funding in the FY2006 budget. The strategy worked. And when we got the President’s budget in February 2006, in included $2.5 million for the LBI project in 2007—the first time the LBI project was funded when Congress got the budget.

Future: Work on FY07 Budget, State to Finalize Plans, Surf City 1^st to Get Sand

I was pleased to have helped increase the funding for LBI from $2.5M to $6 million in the House. The Senate allotted only $3M in its budget, however, so I expect between $3M-6M to be the funding we have in a budget compromise this fall.

State officials now must complete final details with the Army Corps of Engineers for various towns, such as remaining public access issues on select sections of the island, which includes a half-dozen municipalities. The second phase of construction was put out to bid in July 2006. A bids are expected to be opened Aug. 22 and awarded around Labor Day, with the first pumping of sand set to start in Surf City in late September, thanks to the leadership of State Sen. & Surf City Mayor Len Conners.

The project is expected to be constructed over 5-10 years. Although the federal budget is tight, I will continue to fight for funding in coming years.