How North Wildwood Is Rebuilding Its Beaches With Giant Steel Walls
Have you ever wondered how they actually build bulkheads on the beach? We did too, so we stopped by the North Wildwood Bulkhead Project, happening between 12th Avenue and 15th Street, to show you exactly how it’s done.
The Wildwood Video Archive filmed an entire video not only showcasing this project, but also how the beaches look after an offseason filled with beach erosion.
How North Wildwood Is Rebuilding Its Beaches With Giant Steel Walls
You can watch that video at the bottom of this article.
It’s no secret that the Wildwoods have been going through some very rough times when it comes to beach erosion. Over the past decade, we’ve documented many different projects that have been taking place to help make sure that ocean surges do not run into our streets and destroy our infrastructure and buildings.
Depending on the extreme of beach erosion, there are many different projects that can be done. In the past, there have been a few examples of beach replenishments, including dredging the sand out of the ocean onto the beach or a backpass, which moves sand from beaches further south to North Wildwood.
While that would temporarily stop the water from getting into the streets, another permanent solution is to either build sand dunes or bulkheads.
Some sand dunes are a combination of large rocks with sand piled on top of that, but there is a more inexpensive way to do this by using bulkheads.
A bulkhead is a type of coastal barrier or retaining wall which is built by placing 35-foot tall pieces of sheet metal next to each other and interlocking them. It takes a very specific set of skills to be able to hammer these pieces of sheet metal together.
Also See: Demolition Starts for 18 Unit Apartment Complex in Wildwood
The crews in North Wildwood are using the most typical way of doing this.
Once the bulkhead sections arrive on site, crews lift them into position and place a hydraulic vibrating hammer on top. After aligning each piece to ensure it matches the others, the hammer vibrates it down into the sand until only about six feet remains above the surface.
This system works because of the weight of the hammer and how the vibration is able to move the sand out of the way.
Crews will do this for the entire length of the bulkhead to connect the section at the existing bulkheads at the North Wildwood lifeguard station and the one down on 12th street so that there is a full wall of protection from 3rd street up to the station at 16th.
After the bulkhead is installed, a cap will be placed on top and sand will be filled in to create the new dune. The last part would be installing new ramps so that people can move of the dune with ease.
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