LISTEN > Atlantic City is already well aware of the harmful affects of mountainous dunes along the Boardwalk. And in a few weeks, Margate & Ventnor will get to enjoy some ugly dune building as well.
Listen to ACprimetime Radio Podcast. Here come the Downbeach dunes… featuring discussion on Harry Hurley WPG 1450 Radio show.
Obstruct the summer views & cool breezes on Absecon Island. These unsightly & un-needed sand mountains hurt home & business values as well. Most real estate agents think so too.
NOTE: sand replenishment IS needed in front of Showboat & REVEL…..as well as in Longport.
A handful of Margate homeowners kept up the good fight though. They dug deep and bankrolled their own lawsuit to keep fake dunes out of this section of Absecon Island. On Feb 3, those homeowners suffered another loss. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled the proposed dunes would NOT cause a nuisance, be a public health hazard, or harm any beachfront homes in Margate. The City of Margate reluctantly raised the white flag months ago.
In addition to unsightly, view-killing, mountains of sand, Margate ( AC & Ventnor too ) residents know all too well that flooding comes from back bay surge, not the front beaches. Bulkheads worked rather well.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection have been pushing to start dredging and pumping for years. They might get their wish, come this spring. Tractors, bulldozers and pump barges will fire up their diesel engines to begin the loud dirty work in early April. They’ll start in Atlantic City, and will work their way down towards Longport throughout the spring… and maybe early summer? We shall see.
The proposed dunes could be a whopping 100 feet wide and up to about 13 feet high.
Ventnor is now the only portion of the Absecon Island boardwalk where you can sit, walk and bike ride….and actually see the beach and ocean.
Why is unpopular dune project with limited benefit still moving forward? It’ all about the $63.3 million of taxpayer money specifically earmarked for this project. It’s waiting patiently to be spent. If not used for Absecon dune building, that cash goes back into the general fund, for use in future emergencies.