Work to replace the bulkhead along Sunset Ave in Lower Chelsea may start soon, Councilman Jesse Kurtz said in a recent email. The bulkhead replacement project has been “coming soon” since funding was secured at the end of 2019, only for it to become mired in COVID-19-related supply-chain problems.
Two weeks ago fencing was installed suddenly on Sunset Avenue between Kingston and Richmond Aves, impeding traffic flow and surprising residents. Kurtz, in an email to residents, said the fencing was to prepare for the new bulkhead construction. Partial materials for the project arrived earlier in the month, although other parts remain in transit, he wrote. “I am hopeful that the job will start soon with what materials are now on hand,” he added.
The city in February awarded Berlin, NJ-based Mount Construction the contract to do the bulkhead replacement. According to the agreement, the work must be completed within 210 calendar days from the first purchasing order being issued by the city.
The bulkhead replacement is part of a string of planned resiliency projects to reduce flooding in Atlantic City.