The Laurence Harbor boardwalk was left in shambles by superstorm Sandy in October. Old Bridge has received grant funding to repair the boardwalk and its three fishing piers at Old Bridge Waterfront Park. OLD BRIDGE — The damage from superstorm Sandy affected all areas of the township, but none more mercilessly than Laurence Harbor.
In the six months since the storm, several community organizations and volunteer groups have worked tirelessly to help clean up the waterfront section. But like many other Sandy-afflicted areas, there is much more work to be done.
Dozens of homes remain vacant and the beachfront is still closed, but thanks to a $1.25 million federal grant, the Laurence Harbor boardwalk — left in shambles by the vicious winds and swelling tide of the Oct. 29 storm — is expected to see new construction in about six weeks.
For the past six months, the boardwalk and its three fishing piers, part of the 3.1 mile-long Old Bridge Waterfront Park, could only be recognized as a row of unadorned pilings and a few scattered messes of splintered boards along the shoreline.
“It’s really important that we get that boardwalk built back there,” Mayor Owen Henry said.
Ralph Albanir, director of Middlesex County Parks and Recreation, said the reconstruction will likely cost between $5 million and $6 million, when all is said and done. He said county officials are excited to use grant funds to fast-track the construction, which has been in discussions since the storm.
“We’ve cleaned up as much of the park as we can, and we’ve been working with consultants as much as possible to try to get this thing on the ground as quickly as possible,” he said. “Now [because of the grant], we’re accelerating our plans.”
The county, which maintains the park, will put the project out to bid in about three weeks, he said. As part of the project’s specifications, the county requires that engineering efforts be accelerated so parts of the boardwalk can be reopened by July 4.
In addition to speeding up the process, the grant funding will ease the financial strain on the county in reconstructing the boardwalk, Albanir said. While the county will have to pay the balance of the project’s costs, officials have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is expected to reimburse the county for 75 percent of its share.
“I’m pretty sure we’re going to qualify for 75 percent reimbursement,” Albanir said. “Between this [grant] and the 75 percent, we’re getting close to 100 percent [of cost reimbursement], so we’re happy about that, there’s no question.”
The new boardwalk will be built to stronger specifications, Albanir said, but there is no way to ensure it could withstand another storm like Sandy.
“You can’t predict that kind of thing,” he said.
The $1.25 million grant for Laurence Harbor is a small part of a $9.4 million grant distributed through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program to help local communities recover from Sandy, according to a press release from the offices of U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez.
About $3.7 million will go to Monmouth County Public Works for pre-Sandy efforts to protect against flooding; $1.29 million will go to Monmouth County for security provided by the sheriff’s office; $1.39 million will go to Seaside Heights for searchand rescue operations; and $1.73 million will go to Woodbridge for debris cleanup.
“It’s good news that this federal funding is continuing to flow into local communities, helping them recover from the devastation of superstorm Sandy. This federal aid will help pay for emergency actions taken in the immediate aftermath of the storm, as well as ongoing repairs that are rebuilding our state stronger than ever before,” Lautenberg said.
The total Sandy aid enacted by Congress now totals $60.2 billion. The funding package includes federal aid to help homeowners, businesses and communities recover, as well as resources to rebuild coastal, transportation and water infrastructure.
“With the start of the summer tourist season a few short weeks away, this federal funding is critical to helping these counties and communities recoup some of the expenses associated with responding to superstorm Sandy,” Menendez said.
“There are still many challenges to face on the road to full recovery. I will continue fighting for the federal resources we need to help all New Jersey communities rebuild even better and stronger than before the storm.”
Contact Thomas Castles at [email protected].