Bay Boulevard Repairs to Begin This Fall

Repairs to Bay Boulevard, the bayside north-south thoroughfare through the township's Ortley Beach section, are expected to begin this fall.

County officials announced Wednesday that they would solicit bids for the project, which will be reimbursed 90 percent by the federal government since the work will repair damage caused by Superstorm Sandy.

Since Sandy hit, the southbound side of the divided road has been closed. Both lanes of traffic have been using the northbound side.

"The southbound lanes were so damaged that it can't be open to traffic," said county engineer Frank Scarantino. "There was a place where we were standing [after the storm] that collapsed the next day."

So far, emergency repairs have been made to the roadway simply to stabilize it, officials said.

During the storm, "the bay kept coming in backwards further and further, so the bulkheads were blown away," said County Administrator Carl Block. "When the freeholders first went back there, we saw that the pavement was about to collapse."

Repairs will be necessary for the length of Ortley Beach, plus about 100 feet into Lavallette, Scarantino said.

The upcoming project, which is scheduled to begin in October, will include a rebuilt drainage system along the road which will tie into the drainage work that is being done in conjunction with the reconstruction of Route 35, officials said.

"Our drainage system will be reinforced for any future catastrophic event," said Freeholder Director Jack Kelly.

Construction is planned to last into the spring of 2014.