By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City has been methodically reconstructing Central Avenue since 2021 as part of a broader strategy to rebuild its roads and protect low-lying neighborhoods vulnerable to floodwater.
The city is planning to rebuild a 15-block stretch of Central Avenue between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and 56th Street in what would be the next major phase of reconstruction.
At its May 6 meeting, City Council authorized filing an application with the New Jersey Department of Transportation for a state grant to help fund the project. The amount of grant money Sea Isle hopes to obtain from the NJDOT will be determined by the city engineer and has not yet been announced.
Sea Isle has not yet announced any construction timetable for rebuilding Central Avenue between JFK Boulevard and 56th Street.
Traditionally, the city builds its road and drainage projects during the quieter off-season months to avoid construction disruptions when the town is crowded with summer vacationers.
City spokeswoman Katherine Custer said road reconstruction projects typically consist of replacing the curbs and repaving the street.
“We’re just continually improving,” she said of the city’s road program.
Road projects such as Central Avenue’s reconstruction are a key part of Sea Isle’s efforts to reduce flooding in residential neighborhoods. Long stretches of Central Avenue parallel the back bay, a major source of flooding on the low-lying island.
As one of the city’s main arteries, Central Avenue has been the focus of a series of road projects in recent years. In the fall of 2021, the city repaved a section of Central Avenue from 69th Street to 84th Street under a nearly $500,000 contract.
The city awarded a $773,800 contract in March to Arawak Paving Co. Inc. of Hammonton to reconstruct Central from 56th Street to 69th Street. Work will begin in the fall. The project is being partially funded by a grant from the NJDOT.
In another upcoming project, Council awarded a $457,737 contract in March to Perna Finnigan Inc. of Vineland for improvements to the water and sewer systems on Central Avenue and other streets. Construction will begin in the fall.
One portion of the project will replace an old sanitary sewer line on 40th Street from Landis Avenue to Central Avenue.
The other part of the contract includes the replacement of an old, undersized water main on Central Avenue from 40th Street to West Jersey Avenue.
