Majority of work expected to be complete before summer
CAPE MAY — Despite the snowy winter, Cape May’s Promenade rehabilitation project is on track to be mostly complete before tourists arrive for the summer.
The initial phase of the project, which began after Labor Day last year, includes concrete repairs, widening and shoring up of the walkway, applying a new surface and the addition of 10 new ADA-compliant ramps.
The city received a $6.7 million grant from the state to fund the project. The city awarded the contract to Fred Shiavone Construction.
“The winter weather slowed things down a bit because you just don’t get as much work done per day, especially when it’s bitter cold,” City Manager Paul Dietrich told the Star and Wave. “They’ve slowed down a little bit but are still in good shape to have the majority of the work done before the summer season.”
Dietrich noted that memorial benches, purchased by family’s to honor loved ones, would be returned to the Promenade by mid-June.
Over the next several weeks, Schiavone Construction will continue concrete repairs on the face of the wall. Dietrich added that the contractor may have to return in the fall to finish seal coating and line striping.
He said around the week of March 23, “they’re probably going to start repaving the promenade surface,” he said. “It will take them a couple months to finish up the different areas [of] concrete repairs and move down the Promenade.”
A noticeable change is a new color coating, which will run the full length of the waterfront walkway.
“It helps make it cooler up there and not as hot if you walk on it if barefoot,” Dietrich said.
The 2-mile-long Promenade is a focal point of the city, home to Convention Hall and several eateries and retail businesses.
Promenade history
The restoration project comes at a notable time, with 2026 marking 175 years of Cape May being incorporated as a city and 50 years as a National Historic Landmark.
The Promenade Master Plan, prepared by Colliers Engineering & Design in 2023, notes that the original wooden walkway (known as the Cape May Boardwalk) dates to the 1860s. Additionally, it played an integral role in the city’s rise as the Nation’s Oldest Seaside Resort.
The resilience of the former boardwalk and current Promenade is resounding, as they have weathered both years of visitors and numerous storms. The unforgettable nor’easter in 1962 leveled the boardwalk, making way for the concrete Promenade.
The master plan to preserve and repair the walkway notes several steps to safeguard its historic charm. First, structural integrity and preservation are necessary to prolong its lifespan and recognize its importance as a component of Cape May’s coastal flood defense system.
Additionally, the plan calls for bringing the ADA ramps up to code and repairing where needed to ensure accessibility for all visitors. The modification includes the construction of new access ramps where none previously existed.
The next step to fortify the Promenade against storms is to widen and raise the structure. A critical aspect of that fortification is the need to extend the seawall in several areas.
Mayor Zack Mullock called on federal officials to release grant funding for the seawall extension project, warning during his State of the City address Jan. 6 that the delay poses a threat to Cape May residents and property.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew announced Feb. 13 that the Cape May City Seawall Flood Mitigation Project is authorized to move forward after securing $24.3 million to protect the vulnerable area.
The project proposes extending the Promenade just east of Madison Avenue to Wilmington Avenue, then down Wilmington Avenue. The plan was developed in collaboration with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to significantly reduce the risk of property loss and loss of life.
With the funding now secure, work on the city’s seawall extension project could begin as soon as summer 2027, according to Dietrich.
“The anticipation is to have everything set up to put the project out to bid in the summer, award in the late summer and have a fall start for construction,” Dietrich said. “We’re anticipating at least a year, if not longer.”
He added that there is no timeline for construction; it will depend on the contractor.
“We’ve been going through the design process to finalize everything, and it got delayed under the current presidential administration,” Dietrich told the Star and Wave. “The projects have to be authorized by the Secretary of Homeland Security before being elevated.”
Dietrich added that Van Drew has been working the past several months to clear that hurdle.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
