AVALON - Avalon’s 2012 beach fill project officially began Thursday morning, Feb.2, 2012. Bulldozers are currently on the Borough’s north end beach front putting piles of sand in place for eventual transport to the north end beaches. The backpassing project will result in 60,000 cubic yards of sand being placed on the Borough’s beachfront between 16th and 26th streets.

Mount Construction Company of Berlin, New Jersey was awarded a contract to conduct the backpassing project. The company anticipates trucking the sand that is being placed in piles to the north end beaches beginning Mon., Feb. 6. Under terms of the contract, the entire beach fill project must be completed no later than March 15, 2012.

The backpassing project will result in the mechanical relocation of sand that has naturally accreted to the southern beaches to the north end of the beachfront. Sand that naturally drifted to beaches between 32nd Street and 38th Street, and from 60th Street to 71st Street, will be collected and transported to the north end beachfront. This backpassing project has received all permits from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Sand will be relocated from the 60th Street to 71st Street beachfront through the month of February. Sand will be relocated from the 32nd Street to 38th Street beachfront between March 1-14. Trucks will be allowed to transport sand through the protected zone of the Avalon beachfront because no endangered plants or piping plover nests exist during this time period. Trucks will also be restricted to drive only on the “wet” sand area near the oceanfront. The Borough of Avalon will enact various safety measures for the duration of this backpassing project. Work will only be done during daylight hours.

The Borough of Avalon received nine bids for the backpassing project and the low bid was 25 percent under the engineer’s estimate which will save Avalon $121,000. Avalon will pay $5.82 per cubic yard of sand; that figure is more than two dollars less expensive than Avalon’s beach fill project in 2010 where a hydraulic dredge was used. Avalon has conducted two backpassing beach fills in prior years, in 2005 and 2006.

For more information, please visit www.avalonboro.org.