A sandbar that has clogged part of a busy channel connecting the bay and ocean between Sea Isle City and Avalon will be dredged to make it safer for boating traffic.
New Jersey Congressman, Jeff Van Drew, announced the emergency dredging project yesterday, adding that Townsends Inlet has become increasingly dangerous for boating traffic due to shifting sand that has narrowed the channel.
"Over the years, the route through Townsends Inlet has gotten smaller and more dangerous," said Congressman Van Drew. "As of today, we have an agreement in place to dredge at the bridge and make the inlet safer for recreational and commercial boats. We are using dredging equipment already in the area for the Avalon beach replenishment project to get this done quickly while saving millions of dollars for taxpayers."
Avalon Mayor John McCorristin added: "Courtesy of an emergency beach fill acquired by the Congressman for the Borough, we are now able to partner with our neighbors in Sea Isle and the dredging company already in the Inlet to improve navigational safety and preserve the commercial and recreational boating opportunities that have a long lineage in Avalon and in Cape May County."
According to Van Drew, his office is working with the local, state and federal governments to fund, permit and complete the dredging project. Cape May County is contributing $250,000 in emergency funding toward the estimated $1.5 million cost of the dredging.