Frigid Temps Delay Manasquan Beach Replenishment

The recent frigid temperatures have delayed the Manasquan beach replenishment work, but the project is close to complete, according to the federal Army Corps of Engineers.

The recent below freezing temperatures, expected to return tonight in the single digits, have slowed down progress on the last leg of the beach replenishment project in Manasquan, said Army Corps Project Manager Jenifer Thalhauser.
 
Originally, it had been hoped the work would be done by today (Mon. Jan. 26).

"At this point, they are looking to finish at the end of January or early February," Thalhauser said. "I cannot provide the exact day right now; weather is still being difficult."

Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a partner agency on the project, had said recently that the southern half of the Manasquan beach had been replenished in December and about a quarter to a third of Sea Girt has also been replenished.

Sea Girt's beach will be finished after Manasquan is complete, as part of a larger, regional beach replenishment project in Monmouth County, Thalhauser said.
 
When Thalhauser was asked how much the Manasquan portion of the regional beach replenishment project has cost, she replied, "We can't tell yet. Contract cost includes ongoing work for Spring Lake, Sea Girt, and Belmar. Once all boroughs are complete we'll have a total cost."

The regional beach replenishment project is fully funded by the Army Corps, through two laws, including the "Hurricane Sandy Emergency Supplemental Bill," she added.

Anyone who has strolled on the Manasquan beach walkway lately will have noticed the beach is a lot bigger, but also flat as a pancake. When Thalhauser was asked if the Army Corps is going to construct dunes, she replied, "The Corps will not be constructing dunes; we are not authorized by law to construct dunes with federal funds. Any dune construction must be done by the nonfederal partners (Borough and State of NJ)."