Government

Seaside Park Boardwalk Reconstruction Begins This Week

by
Daniel Nee
September 10, 2025

The Seaside Park boardwalk, a mix of timber and Trex, Sept. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The reconstruction of the Seaside Park boardwalk – a project that will last into the winter season – is beginning this week, officials said.

The first phase of the project is getting underway this week and will cover the area between 5th Avenue and Island Avenue. This portion of the boardwalk is in the northern portion of town, and is currently built with timber boards. To the south of 5th Avenue, the boardwalk is new and made of “Trex” style decking, which will be replaced in a future phase.

“They started mobilizing [last] week, and Public Works is busy taking off all of the badge boxes and the benches,” said Borough Administrator Karen Kroon. “They also disconnected the water lines to the fountains.”

Kroon said the contractor is going to start on Island Avenue and work south. Crews will close off the boardwalk at Brighton and at 6th Avenue for mobilization. The contractor, Vulcan Construction, is obligated to complete the work by Feb. 28, 2026.

The Seaside Park boardwalk, a mix of timber and Trex, Sept. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Work will be done between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with work being done on Saturdays to get ahead of schedule in case of weather. At 5th Avenue, staging will take place streetside, and messaging boards have been placed in the road to advise both motorists and pedestrians about the project. The pavilions will be set back during construction. The project will not affect the upcoming “Semper Five” run to support U.S. Marine Corps charities, though the organizers of the “Valor Run,” another fundraising race, have been advised that participants will have to relocate to the street for several blocks where construction is underway.

In June, the council awarded a $4,367,596 to Vulcan to complete the job after another contractor, Wallace Contracting, withdrew its bid due to a “significant error in their cost calculation,” a resolution passed by the council stated at the time.

Seaside Park will eventually replace its entire boardwalk with $12.3 million in funding authorized by the council through the state’s Infrastructure Bank. Under the terms of the deal offered to Seaside Park, 50 percent of the funding would be provided with zero interest and the other half would be provided at a rate far lower than the market rate – less than an agency with an AAA bond rating. The money could be paid back over the course of 31 years. In some cases, I-Bank loans are ultimately forgiven by the state, however forgiveness is not guaranteed under the terms offered to Seaside Park at the outlay.