Prepared for the Citizens of Ocean City, New Jersey

Proposed Pier - 3-D Perspective 

In early October, 2009, Mr. John Hillman, PE, SE, President of HC Bridge was invited to meet with Ocean City’s Civic Leaders and tour the existing boardwalk.  As a result of that meeting, Mr. Hillman and his team developed the following proposal, at no cost to Ocean City, using the Award Winning Hybrid-Composite Beams (HCBs) to create a state of the art, sustainable,  cost-effective boardwalk with a capacity of 72,000 lbs.

The HCB is a Fiberglass Shell encapsulating a Concrete Arch and High Strength Cables 

The Fiberglass shell fully protects the steel and concrete from all of the elements (wind, sand, sea spray, salt fog, etc.)  that dramatically reduce the life of a traditional sea shore structure.

HCB’s have been tested and installed to carry highway and railroad loads.

The HCB’s (click here to view engineering drawings) are designed to carry fire trucks, ambulances and other equipment that may be needed for special events.

Installed HCB’s spans can be used by construction crews as a work platform to install subsequent spans.  This minimizes inconvenience and interruptions to adjacent businesses, tourists and citizens alike.  It also means less disturbance to the beach.

The proposed construction sequence using the lightweight HCB’s would be as follows:

  - Remove the existing deck and pile caps for a 60 foot long section of deck

  - Install a composite pile jacket around the existing piles (further enhancing the strength and durability of the structure).
  - Install the HCB Pier Caps and Beams
  - Install the decking of choice for the new boardwalk

We envision that this entire process could be done in a week or less for a 60’ section.

Since almost all of the elements are prefabricated, this work can be done at any time of year.

HCB’s use approximately 1/5th the amount of concrete of traditional concrete structures.  Since cement production is a major source of greenhouse gases, this means 1/5th the carbon footprint.

Since HCB’s weigh significantly less, there are less trucks needed to transport the beams to the site.  Again, this means a reduced carbon footprint.

Anticipated replacement price is $160 - $180 per square foot including the city's choice of deck material.

This price is based on relatively small sections of deck being replaced.  If large sections or the whole boardwalk is replaced, significant savings could be realized.

Long lasting structures simply cost less over the life of the structure. 

  - Structures built with composites are projected to have significantly longer life-cycles than those built solely with conventional materials.

  - Structures built with composites require significantly lower maintenance than those using traditional materials.

Click Here to View Additional Engineering Drawings

Click Here to View HC Bridge's Response to City Council President Sheppard