Several Jersey Shore beaches are still in need of Superstorm Sandy repairs, and two are scheduled for construction just as the summer season kicks off in May and June.

That leaves the towns, which have waited anxious years through construction delays and rumors of beach closures, less than ready to relax this summer.

While many Ocean County beaches were repaired by late March, three are still on the the $128 million project’s schedule: Lavallette, Point Pleasant Beach and Bay Head, according to Stephen Rochette, a spokesman with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The three are part of a 13-mile project between the Manasquan and Barnegat inlets, which involves dune and berm construction. It also touched beaches in Mantoloking, Brick, Toms River shore points Ortley Beach and Normandy Beach, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Berkeley Township, which have been completed. The Lavallette work is expected to wrap up mid-April, with Point Pleasant Beach and Bay Head following in May and late June, respectively.

This is far from the first time the project has raised ire from Shoreside communities, causing local officials to worry that equipment and closures would make their beaches overcrowded and undesirable during the too short, but profitable, tourism season.

And in Bay Head, where work was originally scheduled last summer but never came, that worry became a reality in 2018 as cautious tourists left beach-front rentals vacant.

“People are just shying away. They don’t want to rent, especially on the beach,” Bay Head Mayor William Curtis said in a phone call Tuesday. “That could affect us long-term.”

The project in Point Pleasant Beach should begin between April 7 and 19, according to the town.

That means portions of the beaches will be full of workers and dredging pipes rather than beach umbrellas and lounge chairs, maybe even up to Memorial Day weekend.

“The timing probably couldn’t be worse, but we are really hopeful that the project is going to start soon,” Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Stephen Reid said in a call Tuesday.

Work in Point Pleasant Beach was initially scheduled for January 2018, then pushed back the summer, which the town in turn pushed back against, Reid said. While the delays did not impact the borough’s summer, the very idea of construction can cause tourists to just pick another spot along the Shore.

“I think a rumor is a bad thing when you talk about New Jersey tourism,” he said, noting the town also has bridge repairs to finish up before tourism traffic floods the area.

The planned April project will begin at Makin Avenue and move north, with beaches south of that point to follow. Reid said he has seen pipes in the borough, and is hoping work will start within the next few weeks.

“I’m at a point right now, where I just want it to start and finish," he said. "We’ve been waiting since Sandy for this.”

The start and end dates of the projects all depend on weather and mechanical issues, Rochette said. But either way, the work doesn’t render a Shore town closed for business. No more than a 1,000-foot section of beach will be closed at a site during the operations, he said.

The project in Bay Head project involves two separate sites, where work will be conducted simultaneously. The pipe landings will be placed at Egbert Street, Mount Street and Karge Street, according to a project plan.

Luckily, the beaches in Bay Head don’t officially open for the season until June 15.

Curtis said he hopes people will still choose the seaside borough as their summer Shore destination, and noted the town, with restaurants and markets, will be open and ready for visitors.

“It doesn’t affect the rest of the town,” he said. “Beachgoers, yes, but it will only affect a certain portion of the beach, each day, each week. I would say, keep the faith and hopefully they will be done.”

Rochette said more contracts are anticipated for later this summer, but construction would not begin until after.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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