By David Madden

AVALON, N.J. (CBS) — Another beach replenishment project is about to get underway “down the shore.”  But this one was in the works long before Hurricane Sandy hit the South Jersey coast.

This $4½-million project is targeted for the beaches of Stone Harbor and Avalon.

“Our beach fill effort is expected to get underway soon,” says Avalon public information officer Scott Wahl. “This is specifically to repair damage caused by Irene in August of 2011.”

The work was approved prior to Sandy.  So, considering that it costs a million bucks just to get the dredge equipment in place, local officials are looking into whether the US Army Corps of Engineers can make repairs to damage caused in nearby areas by Sandy as well.

In fact, there are meetings with the Army to discuss the scope of this project before restoration work actually begins.