New Jersey American Water to begin $2.5M Ocean City project

Continuing its efforts to improve water infrastructure across the state, New Jersey American Water announced Dec. 21 that more areas of Ocean City are next on its list. 

Starting Dec. 27, weather permitting, the Camden-based utility will begin replacing more than a mile of aging water main, upgrading the 8-inch concrete water lines that were installed in the 1950s with new 8-inch ductile iron main. 

The following streets will be affected: 

• West Avenue from 18th Street to 26th Street 
• 22nd Street from Haven Avenue to Asbury Avenue 

The work, which will be done by Pioneer Pipe Contractors Inc., represents a $2.5 million investment in the area. Earlier in December, the company announced similar projects in multiple communities, including streets in Ocean City. 

Workers will also replace seven fire hydrants, 300 utility-owned service lines along the pipeline route and any customer-owned lead or galvanized service lines as part of a statewide initiative to remove all such lines by 2031. 

The project is expected to take about five months. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and drivers should be aware of changing traffic patterns. 

Final street restorations will be completed in fall of 2023.