Safety Of Ocean City Boardwalk Questioned
(CBS 3) - Philadelphia, PA
Oct 9, 2007 7:14 am US/Eastern

OCEAN CITY, N.J. There are growing concerns over the substructure of parts of the Ocean City boardwalk after nearly 80 years of erosion.

On a busy weekend Ocean City gets 200,000 visitors. Many tourists pack the boardwalk, a portion of which was built in 1928, to take part in a vast array of shops and eateries that line the wooden walkway.

"Ocean City represents over one billion dollar a year in tourism. It is our life's blood," said Ocean City Councilman Jody Alessandrine.

Recently there has been debate as to what type of material should be used to replace damaged boards, but many have not seen the damage underneath the boardwalk.

One cement segment of the boardwalk has settled approximately five inches below where it meets another section.

Cracks along the bottom of boardwalk can be seen and there is visible erosion from years from exposure to the salty air.

"The core of the boardwalk substructure is antiquated," Alessandrine said. “It’s important to note it's safe

Concerned residents hired an independent engineer to examine the substructure.

"There are a few isolated areas that need some rehabilitation work, but I would estimate that to be somewhere in the ten percent range," McLaren Engineering Group's Malcolm McLaren said.

In response to questions about the condition of the boardwalk, Ocean City Engineer George Savastano said, "The city is well aware of the condition of the substructure and we have all the intentions to do the necessary repairs."

But regardless, all agree the decades old boardwalk is in need of some attention.

“There really hasn’t been an extensive study on the condition of the substructure for over ten years,” Alessandrine said. “Any engineer that has been under there has said, ‘Yeah, it needs maintenance and needs repair.’”

Ocean City officials said $21,000 has been dedicated to fixing the ailing portion of the boardwalk in the coming weeks, but some are concerned it may not be enough.