Sea Isle plans to replace these steps leading to the Promenade at 51st Street with a new ramp as well as the steps at 53rd Street.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
The steps are narrow and steep. There are eight of them. They lead from the end of 51st Street up to the Promenade.
The steps may not sound like a big deal to most people. But for senior citizens or people with disabilities, climbing these steep steps may be difficult, if not impossible, for them to do.
Recognizing the challenges that some pedestrians may face, Sea Isle City is planning to replace the steps at 51st Street and at 53rd Street with handicap-accessible ramps leading to the popular oceanfront Promenade.
Sea Isle officials had hoped to have both ramps built in time for the summer tourism season, but the process for securing the regulatory permits needed for construction has been slower than anticipated.
“A little more laborious than we had hoped,” is how City Business Administrator George Savastano put it.
As a result, Sea Isle may have to scale back its plans by building only one ramp for this summer, Savastano said while giving an update on the project during the Feb. 28 City Council meeting.
The city may hold off on building the second ramp until later in the year to limit construction disruptions during the busy summer tourism season at important access points to the Promenade.
A decision must be made whether to build a ramp at 51st Street or 53rd Street for this summer if only one is constructed.
Before the city builds the new ramps, it must secure an important regulatory permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
A Coastal Area Facility Review Act permit is needed from the NJDEP because the ramps will be built next to the environmentally sensitive sand dunes. CAFRA includes basic rules for protecting the shore’s fragile ecosystem by regulating the types of development and activities that are allowed there.
A handicap-accessible ramp that connects the Promenade with 44th Street makes for easier trips.
The two ramps at 51st and 53rd streets are included in the city’s new five-year capital plan, a broad blueprint for construction projects throughout town. The cost for the ramps is estimated at $150,000.
The “gently sloping ramps” would replace the steep steps that lead to the Promenade now. They would be handicap-accessible and much easier to use for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with young children.
Sea Isle already has ramps that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act at a number of locations on the Promenade. They include where the Promenade starts at 29th Street and ends at 57th Street. They can also be found at John F. Kennedy Boulevard, 44th Street, 49th Street and other locations.
The city is building the ramps to make the Promenade even more inviting to the pedestrians and bikers who enjoy its oceanfront location.
The Promenade stretches for 1.5 miles between 29th and 57th streets and is a haven for pedestrians, joggers and bicyclists. It is often crowded with people heading to the beaches in the bustling summer vacation season.
Separately, the city is also planning to build a handicap-accessible ramp and platform over the dunes at Fifth Street to create easier access to the beach as well as views of the ocean and bay.
The ramp and platform will be built close to Sea Isle’s proposed dog park at Seventh Street and Landis Avenue. The city plans to build the dog park in 2023.
