Somers Point Marina Opens for Transient Boaters

The City of Somers Point, New Jersey, opened a 24-slip transient marina in early July. The new marina occupies 100 linear feet of shoreline along the Great Egg Harbor Bay, which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.

“The site was an old marina that was purchased by the City in the 1990s. The state of New Jersey has funding available so that towns can buy property for open space or recreation. Once they purchase that land, it’s deed-restricted,” explained Greg Schneider, now a partner at Kate Schneider Engineering. Schneider worked on the project for the City.

The marina, which now extends about 325 feet into the bay, was in a state of disrepair and had not been used for years because of the very shallow water in the area – only about a foot at low tide. So when the planning for a new transient marina began five years ago, the most obvious need was for dredging. Obtaining the required permits took a few years because the State of New Jersey requires the beneficial reuse of dredged material and it took some time to find an acceptable solution. “We ended up using it in another marina’s parking lot to make a living shore line,” Schneider said.

Construction of the Somers Point Marina began in the spring of 2019. Marinetek designed and built the floating concrete docks and Walters Marine Construction of Oceanville, New Jersey, installed them. The marina features 22 transient slips plus one slip reserved for a charter fishing boat and another for water taxi/emergency boat docking. The slips, which offer 50-amp electric service, are 30 feet long, but boats up to 60 feet can be accommodated by using two slips. An office for the fishing boat and a dockmaster’s office are located on a fixed section of dock.

Funding for the $1.5 million project came from a Boating Infrastructure Grant, with a 20% match from the City. Under the terms of the BIG award, transient boaters can stay at the dock for up to two weeks. Although most boaters are currently using the marina for short periods – to go out to dinner in the area, for example– Schneider said the City expects that transient boaters will remain longer when they begin heading south down the Intracoastal Waterway this autumn.