Released from the Office of State Senator Jennifer Beck
September 25, 2015 @ 6:59 p.m.
Posted and modified by Monmouth County Public Info @ 8:30 p.m.
Contact: Sen. Beck's Office 732-933-1591
Shark River dredging bid awarded
Completion by end of 2016; work possibly beginning this year
NEPTUNE, NJ - Senator Jennifer Beck (R-11), Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone and Neptune Committeeman Randy Bishop issued a statement today announcing that the New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT's) Office of Maritime Resources has awarded the bid to complete the Shark River dredging project. The project’s contract was awarded to Mobile Pumping & Dredging Co., of Chester, PA.
Senator Beck, Freeholder Arnone and Mayor Bishop provided the following comments:
“After over two decades, there has finally been a bid awarded to dredge Shark River. Notably, The National Marine Fisheries only allows dredging work from July 1st to December 31st, so I’m happy to see this monumental step taken forward, which, if all the stars align, will allow dredging to begin this year. None of this could have been possible without the work of Freeholder Tom Arnone and Committeeman Randy Bishop, working together in a bipartisan fashion with every state, county, and local stakeholder to make this project happen. While the State is investing more than $5 million, the project couldn't have moved forward without the assistance of Monmouth County, which is accepting the material at its landfill and helping to fund the trucking. In addition, a number of surrounding municipalities have preliminarily agreed to share in the cost of the project” said Beck.
“With cooperation from the Monmouth County Reclamation Center, which is able to accept and reuse the dredged material, and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders providing funding, we have made this project a reality. Not one part of the Shark River project was easy or simple, but we found a way to accomplish this. Neptune Township has officially committed to $450,000 in funding, with preliminary discussions taking place with Belmar, Neptune City, and Wall Township for cost-sharing. The persistence of the local community to get this project done was instrumental in helping us over the finish line” said Freeholder Arnone.
“This is a large project, with approximately 106,000 cubic yards of material to be dredged. I’m happy to have been a part of this vital effort in our region. My thanks go out to all stakeholders who worked tirelessly to ensure that we save the Shark River. Every level of government had to work seamlessly to even get the project to this stage. I couldn’t be more pleased with the level of cooperation we have received” said Committeeman Bishop.
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