A northern New Jersey firm will get a $23.8 million contract to build a protective steel sea wall in two of the shore communities hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy.
The state's Environmental Protection Department announced the deal with EIC Associates of Springfield Township on Monday. It calls for the project in Mantoloking and Brick to be completed within six months.
The Federal Highway Administration will pay 80 percent of the project's cost, with the state paying the rest.
The structure will resemble a smaller steel wall erected after the 2012 storm cut a channel through the barrier island in Mantoloking, washing out Route 35 and depositing a house on the Mantoloking Bridge.
A massive emergency repair project was undertaken to rebuild the highway and fortify the area.
