Jersey Shore Boardwalk Reconstruction Tracker 2026

Jersey Shore boardwalk construction in 2026 is not one uniform rebuilding program. Atlantic City is replacing major sections in separate phases, Ocean City has completed two work areas and scheduled its 14th-to-16th Street phase for after Columbus Day, Cape May reports that major promenade work is complete, and Wildwood has awarded its next rehabilitation contract. These projects share a state funding source, but their scope, timing and effect on public access differ sharply.

The New Jersey Boardwalk Preservation Fund awarded $100 million to 18 municipalities. The money can support decking, pilings, structural foundations, ramps, railings, boardwalk extensions and structures connected to a boardwalk. Grant recipients must expend the funds by December 31, 2026, making 2026 the main delivery year for many of the funded projects.

Why 2026 Is the Boardwalk Fund Deadline Year

The preservation fund uses federal American Rescue Plan money administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Awards were announced in February 2024 after municipalities submitted projects for boardwalk construction, maintenance, reconstruction or repair of connected structures.

Eligible work was broader than replacing surface boards. The state listed deteriorated pilings, structural infrastructure, longer-lasting decking, ADA-compliant ramps, railings, extensions and related building work among the possible uses. That explains why one municipality may be replacing a wooden walking surface while another is building an accessible fishing pier or restoring a building physically tied to its boardwalk.

The original grant terms required awards to be obligated by the end of 2024 and expended by the end of 2026. Expenditure of grant money does not always equal public opening. A contractor may complete billable construction within the grant period while inspections, final site work or the formal opening continue into 2027.

Reconstruction Status by Municipality

The table separates the confirmed state award from the most recent project stage found in public agency material. A status marked municipal confirmation needed means the grant is verified but a sufficiently current construction update was not identified. It should not be interpreted as a cancelled or inactive project.

Projects Already Producing Visible Changes

Asbury Park Added Facilities and Step-Free Connections

Asbury Park used part of its award for improvements that visitors can use during the 2026 beach season. Permanent restroom buildings at First Avenue and Fourth Avenue replaced the temporary shipping-container facilities that had served the waterfront.

The city also installed purpose-built shower stations at the main beach entrances. Each entrance has two stations with showers and a foot-washing point, and one station at each entrance is step-free. The accessible station connects to the beach ramp through a mat pathway extending toward the sand.

This work shows why a boardwalk preservation award cannot be measured only in linear feet of new planking. The practical result includes sanitary facilities, water access and a continuous approach between the boardwalk, ramp and beach surface.

Restoration of Convention Hall and other connected waterfront buildings belongs to a different part of Asbury Park’s program. Those structures are physically tied to the boardwalk complex, but their construction status should not be used to describe the opening status of the entire walking route.

Ocean City Separated Summer Access from Off-Season Work

Ocean City reports that work at the north end is complete, along with reinforcement and redecking from 12th Street to 14th Street. The next scheduled phase, from 14th Street to 16th Street, is expected to begin after Columbus Day in October 2026. The mayor’s September 11 update repeated that timing.

The larger funded work includes rebuilding from St. Charles Place to Fifth Street through complete replacement of the substructure and decking. A section of existing ipe decking is being preserved and reinstalled, so the project is not a uniform removal of every existing board.

The city lists a project schedule running from fall 2025 to fall 2026. The newer October start replaces earlier descriptions that placed the 14th-to-16th Street work more generally after summer. Fall construction can still affect bicycle movement and block-level access once the work zone is established.

Large Reconstruction Programs Still Moving Through 2026

Atlantic City Has Separate Projects at Different Stages

Atlantic City should not be described as having one continuous boardwalk construction project. The city has reported at least two major reconstruction areas with different funding, boundaries and completion stages.

New Jersey Avenue to Tennessee Avenue

The city assigned its $20 million preservation-fund award to work between New Jersey Avenue and Tennessee Avenue. Atlantic City reported in January 2026 that construction had begun, following earlier planning that anticipated completion by the end of 2026.

This is the active preservation-fund section and should be identified by its street limits. Describing the whole Atlantic City Boardwalk as under reconstruction would overstate the affected area.

Bellevue Avenue to Arkansas Avenue

A separate reconstruction program began with federal economic-development funding and covered the older boardwalk section beginning near Bellevue Avenue. The city reported the Bellevue Avenue-to-Arkansas Avenue work complete by early 2026.

That project included new concrete ramps at Texas Avenue and Mississippi Avenue designed to handle heavier event-related vehicle use. The ramp work illustrates how boardwalk reconstruction can include emergency, service and event circulation rather than pedestrian decking alone.

The Wildwoods Program Extends Below the Surface Boards

Boardwalk work in the Wildwoods spans more than one municipality and more than one construction phase. Wildwood, North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest maintain separate municipal responsibilities even though the visitor boardwalk experience crosses local boundaries.

Published 2026 work in Wildwood includes removal of older boards and tram-car tracks, rebuilding of the supporting base, installation of new timber decking and updates to signs, railings, lighting and ADA-accessible ramps. These elements affect structural condition, pedestrian movement and the operation of the boardwalk transportation corridor.

Wildwood’s status advanced on August 27, 2026, when the city awarded the 2026 Boardwalk Rehabilitation Phase 8, 8E and Re-Deck Phase 1 contract to L. Feriozzi Concrete Co. The city also amended its contract with 84 Lumber for Cumaru decking on the same date.

North Wildwood scheduled reconstruction between mid-block 24th Avenue and 26th Avenue from late September 2025, with an early April 2026 completion target. Municipal payment records continued to reference boardwalk replacement during spring 2026, but a later public completion notice was not identified. The safest status is therefore scheduled for pre-season completion, with final confirmation still needed.

The August 27 award moves these Wildwood phases beyond the bidding stage, but a contract award is not the same as a construction-start notice. New closures or route changes should be tied to a later municipal construction or access update.

Cape May Reports Major Promenade Work Complete

Cape May’s August 6 construction update says the Promenade Preservation project was awarded to Fred Schiavone Construction and that major work is complete. The city lists electrical work with AC Electric for fall 2026.

This changes the project from an unconfirmed grant-stage entry to a mostly completed municipal project with a defined remaining work item. Any fall access effect should be reported from current city notices rather than assumed to cover the full promenade.

Bradley Beach Publishes Active Promenade Work Schedules

Bradley Beach now lists the Promenade Project on its Capital Improvement Projects page with a construction plan, pedestrian access plan, working schedule and a series of two-week schedules published during summer 2026. The municipal record therefore supports an active-project status rather than “municipal confirmation needed.”

Because the borough publishes short-interval schedules and access documents, visitor effects should be tied to the current work period and access plan. An older project-wide description is not enough to identify which blocks or public access points are affected on a particular date.

Ventnor’s Second Phase Is Planned for Fall and Winter 2026

Ventnor’s municipal reconstruction notice covers the boardwalk from Jackson Avenue to Cambridge Avenue and includes the structure, pavilions, street-end ramps, railing and lighting. The city awarded the work to Fred Schiavone Construction and divided it into two phases.

Phase 1, from Suffolk Avenue to Cambridge Avenue, was scheduled for fall 2025 through spring 2026. Phase 2 from Suffolk Avenue to Jackson Avenue is planned for fall 2026 through winter 2026. Current closure limits should still be checked when the second phase begins because the older notice establishes the planned phase range, not a September 2026 closure.

Long Branch Is Building a New Public Pier, Not Replacing a Routine Section

Long Branch received $3.249 million from the preservation fund for a fully accessible boardwalk extension and fishing pier near Laird Street and Pier Village. The planned structure restores a public pier location associated with the city’s earlier oceanfront pier, which was lost in a 1987 fire.

The project is intended solely for pedestrian and fishing use. It is not designed as a ferry terminal or transportation dock. Plans describe a year-round public structure with a fully accessible fishing area, a wood-and-concrete design and a wider section near the seaward end.

Long Branch issued multiple bid notices after the first contract process encountered problems. In April 2026, the city announced an additional $5 million in state aid and described the project as fully funded. The city’s 2026 capital plan lists an estimated total cost of about $13.5 million and an estimated completion date of June 30, 2027.

Reconstruction, Repair, Preservation and Expansion Describe Different Work

Municipal project descriptions use terms that can look interchangeable but point to different physical work. The distinction affects cost, construction time and what a visitor sees after reopening.

What Visitors May Notice During Summer and Fall 2026

Most boardwalk projects are divided by street range or construction phase. A notice affecting two blocks should not be converted into a claim that the entire destination is closed. The most useful visitor update identifies the municipality, street limits, affected access point and date of the notice.

• Temporary barriers: Work zones may reduce usable width without closing the full boardwalk.
• Block-level detours: Pedestrians or cyclists may be redirected to a street for a short section.
• Changed beach access: The nearest ramp, stairs or mat route may move while a street-end connection is rebuilt.
• Surface transitions: Completed phases can leave visible changes between older boards, new timber and retained ipe.
• Fall remobilization: Contractors may leave a work area inactive during peak summer and return later in fall according to the municipality’s project schedule.
• Facility openings: Restrooms, showers or ramps may open even while a separate building or boardwalk section remains active.
• Transport adjustments: Tram-car tracks and service-vehicle ramps can affect circulation independently from pedestrian decking.

Ocean City provides a clear example of seasonal phasing: the 14th-to-16th Street section is scheduled to begin after Columbus Day in October 2026 rather than during the central summer period. Atlantic City demonstrates geographic phasing, with one avenue range complete while another remains active.

A projected completion month should be treated as a planning date until a municipality confirms reopening. Weather, concealed structural deterioration, material delivery, inspection requirements and contractor scheduling can change the final date. A delay should not be attributed to one of these causes unless the municipality identifies it.

What the Award Amounts Do and Do Not Reveal

The state award is only one part of the financial picture. Some municipalities combine the preservation grant with federal assistance, additional state appropriations, municipal borrowing or local capital funds. The award table should therefore be read as the distribution of one program, not a ranking of total project cost.

The two largest awards went to Asbury Park and Atlantic City at $20 million each. North Wildwood received more than $10.25 million, while Wildwood received more than $8.26 million and Ventnor more than $7.11 million. These amounts indicate the scale of state support but do not show how much of each municipality’s full project has been completed.

Projects That Still Need a Fresh Municipal Status

State award information is stable, but local construction reporting varies. Some municipalities publish a dedicated capital-project page, while others place updates in council packets, bid notices, mayoral letters or temporary alerts that can be difficult to find later.

Belmar, Berkeley Township, Brigantine, Carteret, Keyport, Sea Isle City, Seaside Heights, Toms River and Wildwood Crest all have confirmed preservation-fund awards but still need a fresher municipal record to establish the current grant-specific stage. North Wildwood also needs a later completion notice to confirm the final status of its 24th-to-26th Avenue phase.

Wildwood Crest requires an extra distinction. A 2026 expansion of the borough’s fishing pier has been announced publicly, but current material does not clearly establish that this project is identical to the work funded by the $1.087 million preservation award. The projects should remain separate unless a borough document connects the funding and construction scope.

What Should Be Recorded After the Funding Deadline

Once December 31, 2026 has passed, the most useful record will not be a list of earlier projections. Each project should be assigned a final status supported by a dated municipal statement.

• Completed: Construction finished and the area reopened to ordinary public use.
• Substantially complete: The main structure is usable, but minor work or inspection items remain.
• Construction continuing: Work extends beyond the state spending deadline under an approved financial or contract arrangement.
• Opening scheduled for 2027: Construction or final preparation continues toward a later public opening, as planned for Long Branch.
• Scope changed: The municipality completed work that differs from the original public description.
• Status not confirmed: No recent municipal source establishes completion or opening.

Final reporting should retain the original award, the work that was promised, the work actually completed and the date public access returned. This makes it possible to distinguish a repaired surface from a rebuilt support system, a newly accessible entrance from a general maintenance project, and a completed contract from a structure that has not yet opened.

Questions About the 2026 Reconstruction Program

Official Records Used for the September 2026 Status Review

• New Jersey Department of Community Affairs: Boardwalk Preservation Fund award announcement, recipient amounts, eligible project types and grant deadlines.
• City of Atlantic City: Boardwalk repair announcements and the January 2026 State of the City project update.
• City of Ocean City: Current capital-project list and the September 11 mayor’s update confirming that the 14th-to-16th Street reconstruction is expected to begin after Columbus Day.
• City of Asbury Park: June 2026 notice for new restrooms, shower stations and step-free beach connections.
• City of Long Branch: Pier funding announcement, bid records and the May 2026 capital plan.
• City of North Wildwood: Construction notice for the 24th-to-26th Avenue phase and 2026 municipal payment records.
• City of Wildwood: August 27 resolutions awarding Boardwalk Rehabilitation Phase 8, 8E and Re-Deck Phase 1 to L. Feriozzi Concrete Co. and amending the Cumaru decking contract with 84 Lumber.
• City of Cape May: August 6 construction-project update stating that major Promenade Preservation work is complete and electrical work is planned for fall.
• Borough of Bradley Beach: Promenade Project page with the 2026 construction plan, pedestrian access plan and published two-week work schedules.
• City of Ventnor: Boardwalk reconstruction notice describing the Jackson Avenue-to-Cambridge Avenue scope and the two-phase schedule through winter 2026.
• Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority: January 2026 description of boardwalk reconstruction elements and phased opening targets.