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Dredging crews work Wednesday at the Cove beach in Brigantine.

Dredge work in St. George’s Thoroughfare originally was not going to happen till next year, but negotiations between Brigantine and the state moved up the timetable.

BRIGANTINE — The first week of dredging St. George’s Thoroughfare hasn’t discouraged visitors from enjoying the Cove beach, as many still pulled their cars up to the water’s edge despite crews working only a few feet away.

Some, like Patrick Maginnis, watched as different colors of sand spewed from a black steel pipe that was part of the operation, finding it entertaining. Maginnis, of Norwood, Pennsylvania, was visiting with his friend and her two children. He drove his silver Jeep Grand Cherokee onto the sand, parking the vehicle feet from both the water and construction.

Maginnis has been a devoted Brigantine visitor since the 1960s, and the Cove is one of his favorite beaches.

“There’s a lot of action going on here,” he said of the Cove, famous for allowing permitted vehicles on the sand.

Twenty to 40 cars lined the beach Tuesday, some straddling a makeshift fence erected to keep the public away from the work zone.

The dredging project, which started Monday, is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation. Work is expected to be finished by mid-September, officials have said.

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As part of the project, contractors are removing sand buildup to make a workspace for themselves, after which a barge will dredge the inlet, Mayor Vince Sera said.

So far, the project is on schedule. Sera said the project’s timing actually benefits the city as the late-summer start means beach crowd sizes are beginning to wane.

“Sports are starting back up, and some Pennsylvania schools are starting to go back,” Sera said.

Originally, city and other local lawmakers struggled to convince the state Department of Transportation to include the Brigantine project in its 2022 dredging lineup, with the DOT instead prioritizing it for next year. But things changed last month, and the city was notified DOT would fit the project in this year.

The project’s cost is unclear.

DOT spokesperson Steve Shapiro did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

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The Cove would have needed to be closed for an entire summer for the job to happen, but DOT developed a strategy to close off only a section of it.

Dredging is being done at the beach’s far north section, near where the sand leads into the thoroughfare’s waters. Sediment buildup has made that portion along the Absecon Inlet too shallow, threatening boat access and public safety.

Sera previously said the area is shallow enough to where boat owners have lost the capability of using docks behind their homes because the channel is impassable.

“Most people understand we need the project,” Sera said. “They know that now is not the most convenient time, but they also understand that DOT has done everything they can to minimize the impact to the beaches.”

That understanding was evident Tuesday on the beach.

Kayla Harrell, of Atco, Camden County, and her friends sat reclined in their beach chairs, savoring the sun’s rays. Despite a brief rumble in the ground, Harrell forgot workers were about 50 feet from her setup.

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“It (dredging) doesn’t phase me,” Harrell said.

In the water, DOT’s plan has accommodated boaters passing through the thoroughfare.

Sera said he was initially informed that captains would have to radio a warning into the workers about their approach about 20 to 30 minutes before coming into contact with the equipment. That’s lessened to only a few minutes, making it easy to maneuver around the dredging.

“They’re pretty much on track, and they seem like they’re moving along pretty good,” Sera said.

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Dredging crews work Wednesday at the Cove beach in Brigantine.

Dredge work in St. George’s Thoroughfare originally was not going to happen till next year, but negotiations between Brigantine and the state moved up the timetable.

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