June 26th Project Update:

The Avalon sand back passing project concluded today at 10:00am.  No more sand will be moved in the Borough in advance of summer and the hurricane season.  Approximately 30-35,000 cubic yards of sand was moved to the north end, resulting in all beach paths being opened to the public in the previously eroded north end and an 80′ foot beach berm.  During the summer, sand accretes naturally on the beach due to southerly winds. The contractor is finished with the project, and begins demobilizing his equipment out of Avalon Thursday morning, June 27th.  No further updates on this project are contemplated.

June 23rd Project Update:

The Avalon sand back passing project concludes on Wednesday, June 26th.  Monday-Wednesday this week, sand will be moved from the borrow area located just south of the Fishing Pier to the fill area, generally located between 9th-17th streets.  This project is to alleviate severe erosion that has exposed the north end of our community.  The hours for this project are 2:00am-10:00am.  The beach is an active work zone during this time period.  All work concludes when lifeguards come on duty.  The contractor must demobilize all equipment at the conclusion of this project.

June 18th Project Update

The Borough’s contractor for this sand project continued to move sand through the overnight and early morning hours with improved efficiency and no safety issues.  All beach paths in the north end have now been opened by Avalon Public Works.  The contractor has agreed to continue this schedule of moving sand from 2:00am-10:00am daily, through Friday at the request of Mayor John McCorristin.  The contractor has agreed to add dates to work during the same hours Monday through Wednesday, June 24th-26th, with the absolute completion of the project scheduled for June 26th at 10:00am.  At that time, all sand will be moved and graded, and the borrow area will have no sand pile with a smooth beach.

June 17th Project Update

11:50am:  The 11th Street beach path is now open.  All beach paths are now open in Avalon.

The Avalon sand back passing project resumed at 2:00am Monday.  The project will conclude for the day by 10:00am when the Beach Patrol comes on duty.  The project will continue between the hours of 2:00am-10:00am through Friday, then be suspended for next weekend.

June 14th Project Update

1:45pm update:  As a result of a more productive overnight schedule, the 12th Street beach path is now open to the public, thank you.

11:00am update:  As a result of a more productive overnight schedule, the 10th Street beach path is now open to the public, thank you.

The new schedule for Avalon’s sand back passing project began early Friday at 2:00am under the supervision of Avalon’s engineer.  There were improvements in public safety and efficiency as approximately 50% more sand was moved during the early morning and morning hours.  From now until the project ends, all work will be conducted between these hours Monday through Friday, and no work will be done while lifeguards are on duty, from 10:00am-4:00pm.  No work is done on weekends; the contractor will return to the beach Monday at 2:00am to continue the sand project that is intended to protect the north end of the community where significant erosion has occurred.  Early this morning, one piece of equipment broke down near the 21st Street beach and that equipment will be moved off the beach in a safe manner.  As of 10:00am, an independent mechanic could not fix the truck, so it is being carefully moved on the beach; all beach work is done for the day. Avalon Mayor John McCorristin inspected the beach at sunrise and was pleased with the enhanced safety and improved efficiency of the project.  More details about this project appear below.  The new schedule has approval for all permitting agencies.

June 13th Project Update

Avalon Mayor John McCorristin has adjusted the schedule for the remaining days of the Avalon sand back passing project in the interests of public safety, accessibility, and convenience.  The mayor has negotiated an agreement that will divert all beach reconstruction activities to the overnight hours.  The work hours for the project moving forward until completion will be on weekdays only from 2:00am until 10:00am.  No work will be done on Saturday or Sunday.  This schedule change is being made for the following considerations:
  • By municipal ordinance, the Avalon Beach is closed to the public from 9:00pm until 4:00am.
  • This schedule eliminates any construction vehicles on the beach the entire time lifeguards are on duty, providing for the safe enjoyment of the beach for the public
  • The contractor will be able to move vehicles along the beaches safely along the water’s edge, providing for increased efficiency with moving sand, extending the beach, and providing accessible beach ramps to the eroded beach.
  • The contractor will not be driving north to south on dry sand during the day as work ends at 10:00am, creating tire ruts that are difficult for some individuals to walk across.  The only exception is where trucks must cross outfall pipes which cannot bear the weight of truck traffic.  In the fill area, trucks will be present to construct access paths and widen the beach.
Avalon appreciates the cooperation of Yanuzzi Construction on this request to move the rest of the project to hours where the beach is closed or unpopulated to provide a beach experience while lifeguards are on duty with no construction activity.
Thursday, June 13th, is the final day the work will be done during daylight hours.  As an extra safety measure, Yanuzzi Construction, at the request of the Borough, has placed cones with a general width of 60 feet near the dunes.  This is where the north-south truck traffic will run.  East of the orange cones, there is no construction activity allowing safe access to the water.
Avalon reminds our guests that the entire beach is open during the duration of this project.  If you do not wish to see or hear any construction activity, the beaches south of the 30’s blocks, to 80th Street, and south through Stone Harbor are having no construction activity as part of this project.
The Borough either hydraulically fills, or back passes sand, every spring with the primary benefit of providing resiliency during hurricane season, which begins June 1st.  This year, and anticipated in 2025, will be sand back passing years.  The important secondary benefit of Avalon beach fill projects is to provide access to a recreational beach.  This project has all the necessary permits and approvals from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Avalon mayor and Borough Council.
Most years, including 2024, Avalon does not move sand early in the spring season due to active weather patterns in the North Atlantic.  In May 2024, local beaches in this part of New Jersey experienced persistent northeasterly winds that would have eroded any sand placement until June.
At the conclusion of the contract, the borrow area in the 30’s will have no sand stockpile and the beach will be graded.  In the fill area, beach paths are to be restored.
By contract and prior communications, the work is to end on Thursday, June 20th.  However, with the move to overnight hours providing minimal customer inconvenience and safety issues, the project may be extended under the mayor’s authority to Friday, June 21st, and Monday through Wednesday, June 23rd -26th.  At all times, work will be performed only between the hours of 2:00am-10:00am.
We ask that if you arrive to the beach before lifeguards are on duty, the area of the Avalon beach between 9th and 38th Streets is an active construction zone with trucks anticipated to run north-south, largely near the water’s edge, concluding at 10:00am each day.  Please be advised that for your safety you are encouraged to avoid areas where the construction activity is present.  Safety continues to be Avalon’s number one priority through this project.

June 12th Project Update

The sand back passing project continues in Avalon.  The safety of our beach goers, the crews working on the beach, and the safety of the lives and property in the north end of our community continue to be our primary concerns.  For the safety and convenience of the visitors to the Avalon beach, the following truck routes will be followed.  Starting in the morning, the trucks will run north and south on the Avalon beach close to the water’s edge before lifeguards go on duty.  This area will be unmarked as the exact area is dependent on the daily tide cycle.  Lifeguards go on duty at 10:00am.  At this time, in the interest of public safety, the trucks will transition their north-south routes as close to the dune line as possible.  The truck route close to the dunes will be marked out by 10:00am daily to give the public an expectation of where the truck traffic will run.  This will also provide the public with a designation of the part of the beach that will be undisturbed by trucks in the work area and safe access to the water when guards are on duty.  Swimming in the ocean is discouraged when guards are not on duty.

Please be advised the area of Avalon’s beach just south of the Fishing Pier in the 30’s blocks north to 9th Street is an active construction zone.  The expectation for the remainder of this week is that truck traffic will be traversing this section of the beach between the hours of 7:00am-3:30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, June 12-14th.  During other hours, the contractor is prohibited from operating trucks on the beach in the interest of public safety.  Avalon’s beach runs south to 80th Street.  From the borrow area in the 30’s south to 80th Street there is no vehicular traffic nor construction activity.  Please consider using these beaches.  Your Avalon beach tag is also accepted on Stone Harbor’s beaches.

This is a public safety project that is responding to an emergent condition created in the winter and spring, and exacerbated by persistent northeasterly winds in May that further eroded the beach.  A repaired beach is essential to withstand the seasonal hurricane season in the North Atlantic which began June 1st.  We appreciate all efforts by families to be mindful of their children’s safety as this construction project continues.

Avalon will continue to provide updates on this project as warranted.

June 10th Project Update

Please be aware that the Borough’s contractor, Yanuzzi Construction, is actively moving sand from the borrow area to the fill area with heavy equipment between the hours of 7:00am-3:30pm this week.  The borrow area is just south of the Fishing Pier in the 30’s blocks, and the fill area is generally 9th-15th streets.  There is heavy truck traffic traversing in this area of the Avalon beachfront this week to restore the north end beaches.  If you wish to avoid this activity, the beaches south of the 30s to 80th street are not impacted by this project.  All Avalon beaches remain open for the duration of this project which, by contract, is expected to conclude on June 20th, thank you.

June 5th Project Update

The Borough’s contractor has received all necessary bridge permits and has brought trucks to Avalon to begin moving sand.  Today, the contractor is finishing up work under the Avalon Fishing Pier where the trucks hauling sand to the north end must traverse.  Additional sand scraping in the borrow area will be done today.  On Thursday, June 6th, sand will be hauled to the north end to repair the severely damaged beaches and dunes.  Avalon not only experienced winter storms that eroded the beach, but four consecutive weekends of northeasterly winds in May that exacerbated the erosion.  Sand back passing projects are intended to be done as close to hurricane season as possible and in advance of the busiest portion of the summer season with resiliency as a primary benefit and an expansive recreational beach as a secondary benefit.  Work will be conducted by the contractor Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00am-3:30pm.  The public is advised that the Avalon beach will be an active work zone from the 30’s blocks north to 9th street for the next few weeks.  By contract, the contractor must finish the work by June 20th.  A total of 55,000 cubic yards of sand will be moved under the contract; Avalon may exercise a change order to add more sand.  In the borrow area, the contractor intends to scrape only wet sand that comes ashore daily as it erodes from the north end and is placed in the borrow area.  The area being used has been directed by permits from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.  Please be aware trucks will be moving up and down Avalon’s beaches, and please do not put your towel or chair in an area where tire tracks are visible.  Help your children be aware of the project and their surroundings as public safety is our number one priority.  All beaches in Avalon are open to the public during this project.  North end beach access ramps will be constructed as sand is moved to the north end.

May 30th Project Update

There have been some delays in the actual hauling of sand to the north end beaches due to equipment issues.  However, the contractor has managed those issues and will be moving sand next week, during the week of June 3rd.  The contractor will be able to complete the project on time, on budget, and on schedule with the entire project completed on or before June 20th.  The volume of transport of sand will be +/- 5,000 cubic yards per day.  Avalon Borough Council is expected to consider a change order that will add more sand to the project and keep the project on budget, and on schedule.

May 20th Project Update

Avalon’s spring sand back passing project is underway. Yanuzzi Construction, the contractor for the job, is beginning to stockpile sand in the approved borrow area in early 30’s blocks. Sand will continue to be stockpiled through Wednesday with a break in the work for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. No sand will be transported to the north end in advance of the weekend. Please be mindful the sand pile will be fenced off for safety reasons. Yanuzzi will begin hauling sand to the north end to repair severe winter erosion between 9th-16th street beaches. Beach paths from 10th-15th streets will remain closed this weekend until they can be safely repaired. All beaches in Avalon remain open during this project.
Photos by Avalon Business Administrator Scott J. Wahl.

May 14th Project Update

The contractor plans to bring equipment onto the beach today in the borrow area south of the Fishing Pier.  Sand scraping operations will begin on Wednesday, May 15th.  Heavy equipment to move the sand to the north end begins when the County of Cape May provides a permit to the contractor to move the equipment on Avalon Boulevard to our community.

Project summary:

The 2024 Avalon sand back passing project will begin during the month of May.  This year’s project will move approximately 55,000 cubic yards of sand to north end beaches that experienced severe erosion during winter storm events.  The Yannuzzi Group, Inc. of Kinnelon, NJ was awarded the contract for the work during the Avalon Borough Council meeting on Wednesday, April 24th.  This project is anticipated to start on or about May 13th, 2024.  The project will take scraped sand from the borrow area between 32nd and 40th streets north to the fill area, identified as between 9th-15th streets, with the erosional hot spot between 10th-12th streets.    This project will taper the new beach into the existing beach on the north and the south.  The goal is to have a protective beach in advance of hurricane season, which begins on June 1st.

The workdays/hours for the project will be Monday through Friday from 7:00am until 3:30pm.  The Avalon beach front will be an active construction zone during this project with heavy equipment removing sand from the borrow area and heavy trucks placing the sand in the fill area before it is graded to a sloped beach.  Please be aware the Avalon beach will be an active construction zone during these days and hours and stay away from heavy equipment.  Please do not place beach chairs in the sand in areas where truck traffic is active.  The work will not occur on Memorial Day weekend, pausing Thursday through Monday, May 25-29th.  The end date of the construction activity is dependent on several factors, including daily sand transport rates and any storm activity during this project.  The project is anticipated to run into the first or second week of June.

Please be aware some beach paths in the erosion zone are closed until the beach is fully restored.  Updates on this project will be made when available.