By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City’s quaint wooden fishing pier overlooking the bay at the end of 59th Street will reopen to the public in the next few weeks following repairs to a bulkhead that protects the surrounding neighborhood from flooding.
The city awarded a nearly $70,000 contract last April to Albert Marine Construction, of Waretown, N.J., for the repairs. Originally, the company was expected to begin work within two weeks and finish the job in about a month, but delays in getting construction materials delivered to the site pushed back the project.
In the latest update for the project, the city says construction materials have since been delivered and the majority of work has been finished. However, the fishing pier will remain closed for safety reasons until the work is expected to be fully completed within the next few weeks, according to the city’s website.
During summer, the pier is a popular spot for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. Its bayfront location offers panoramic views of the water, marshlands and wildlife.
The bulkhead next to the fishing pier shows signs of deterioration in this photo taken in April 2022.
While most people probably don’t notice it while casting their fishing lines, right next to the pier is a bulkhead that helps to protect 59th Street and the upscale bayfront homes in the surrounding neighborhood from flooding.
However, damage and deterioration to the bulkhead required the city to make repairs.
“There are some areas that are damaged and failing on the south side of the fishing pier. It needs to be addressed. There will be additional piles and capping to make it safe,” City Business Administrator George Savastano said of the bulkhead in an interview earlier in the year.
The 59th Street fishing pier is a smaller companion to the nearly $1 million fishing pier and kayak launch facility that the city opened in 2021 on the bayfront near 60th Street, behind the Dealy Field athletic and recreation complex.
