Ocean City Is Rebuilding the Boardwalk Around the Blocks Where Its Parades Run

On or about October 13, crews begin taking down the police headquarters at 835 Central Avenue. During demolition there will be limited access to the alley and none to the driveways next to the building. The same week, the city expects to start rebuilding the Boardwalk between 14th and 16th Streets. Two days later, on October 15, it opens bids for a new airport terminal.

Taken one at a time, these read like routine items from a mayor's newsletter. Ocean City's public events this season run on a fixed stretch of the island, roughly Sixth to 14th Street on the Boardwalk and Sixth to 11th on Asbury Avenue. The work sits on either side of that stretch. The city is rebuilding its Boardwalk one section at a time, and the sections it has chosen bracket the blocks it uses for gatherings.

The event route stops at 14th Street, and the new work zone starts there

Here is how the Boardwalk lines up from north to south this fall.

The St. Charles Place to Fifth Street section is the one paid for in part by a $4.9 million Boardwalk Preservation Fund grant. The city's plan for that project calls for replacing both the substructure and the decking while keeping a section of ipe decking. OCNJ Daily reported in March that decking and concrete work there was complete and railings were going up. The city's capital project page still lists the broader Boardwalk reconstruction as under construction, so the city has not formally called that section finished.

South of Fifth Street, the fall programming takes over. The Porsche Boardwalk Reunion on October 17 runs from Sixth to 14th Streets, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the city bans bicycling on the Boardwalk during the event. The Humane Society of Ocean City's Howl-O-Ween parade on October 24 follows the same Sixth-to-14th route, with registration at 2 p.m. and the parade at 3 p.m.

Then comes 14th Street, where the new reconstruction begins. The city's project page set the 14th-to-16th work to start after Columbus Day. The mayor's October 9 update called it "tentatively scheduled to begin next week." The city requested bids under Contract 26-17, with proposals due June 18. No published source yet names the contractor, a completion date, or a detour plan for walkers and cyclists.

So the section rebuilt this year ends at Fifth, the event corridor runs from Sixth to 14th, and the next work zone picks up at 14th. Anyone who uses the Boardwalk for morning walks below 14th Street should expect fencing there this fall. The October parade stretch stays open.

Downtown's one exception sits on Central Avenue

The only big job inside the downtown event footprint is the police station. Its address, 835 Central Avenue, falls within the same Sixth-to-11th street numbers the parades use on Asbury Avenue. The Halloween Parade runs on Asbury from Sixth to 11th Streets on October 29 at 7:15 p.m. The Christmas Parade uses the same route on December 4 at 6 p.m.

The project is phased so the station isn't a hole in the ground for long. Policing on the Boardwalk already has a new home, since construction of the substation at 8th Street and the Boardwalk is complete. For the Central Avenue site, the city plans demolition this fall, with construction starting early in 2027 and completion expected by the end of 2028. That means the 800 block of Central will be an active site through two more summers. The disruption the city has told neighbors about for now is limited to alley and driveway access.

The south end gets most of the heavy work

Farther from downtown, the island is mostly a construction zone this fall. Here's the timing:

Status for the first three rows comes from the mayor's update. Schedules and the Gardens row come from the city capital project list.

Sandcastle Park is the project that will change the most about an ordinary weekday. A $3.5 million county grant helps pay for the rebuild. The plans include a new playground, a small outdoor stage for special events, a basketball court for kids with disabilities, resurfaced tennis courts, new pickleball courts and a new restroom building. In his update, the mayor said everything is on schedule. Crews are preparing the tennis, pickleball and basketball areas for paving. Until spring, people who usually play at 34th Street will need another court.

The West Avenue work is next door to the park. Phase One, the Roosevelt Boulevard and 34th Street corridor itself, is complete. Phase Two raises six intersections on West Avenue, which the county lists as County Route 619. According to the county's project description, the goals include better drainage and more compatible ADA access. Work starts at 45th Street. If the December 21 date holds, the intersections will be done before First Night.

The airport terminal is the longest project on this list, and it could change the most over time. The new building is planned with space for a restaurant, and a $3 million donation from Leon Grisbaum helps fund it. The mayor said the city hopes to award a contract shortly after the October 15 bid opening.

Fall weekends happen on the clear corridor

With the construction mostly kept to the edges, the downtown calendar can run on its usual footprint. These events are confirmed on the city's 2026 calendar of events and its Halloween events page.

October

• Oct. 17: Porsche Boardwalk Reunion, Sixth to 14th Streets, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with no bikes on the Boardwalk during the event
• Oct. 24: Dog Days on the Boardwalk, the Clean Ocean Action beach sweep at the Music Pier, the HSOC Howl-O-Ween parade at 3 p.m., and a Halloween Costume Skate at Fifth and Asbury from 4 p.m. to dusk. Dog Days continues on Oct. 25.
• Oct. 28: The Chamber's Welcome Night at the Sports & Civic Center, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 29: Halloween Parade on Asbury Avenue, Sixth to 11th Streets, 7:15 p.m.
• Oct. 31: Trick-or-treating, 5 to 8 p.m.

November

• Nov. 7: Trail of Two Cities 5K and Walk
• Nov. 11: Veterans Day program at the Tabernacle
• Nov. 14: Winterfest by the Sea at the Civic Center, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Nov. 21: Earlier than the Bird downtown shopping, 8 a.m. to noon
• Nov. 26: Fast & Furriest Turkey Trot
• Nov. 27: Christmas in the Downtown, 2 to 5 p.m., with Santa arriving at 5 p.m.

December

• Dec. 4: Christmas Parade on Asbury Avenue, Sixth to 11th Streets, 6 p.m.
• Dec. 5–6: Train show at the Music Pier, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Dec. 31: First Night, ending with fireworks at midnight

Santa weekends repeat through December 20. He visits Soifer Park on Nov. 28–29 and Dec. 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20, and the Music Pier holds Santa photos on the same weekends from 1 to 3 p.m. Horse-and-carriage rides run on Nov. 21, Nov. 27–29, and the first three December weekends. First Night admission buttons went on sale October 10. They're sold at the City Hall Welcome Center and online at firstnightocnj.com.

What comes back, and in what order

The finish dates are spread across the next two years. The West Avenue intersections are due first, on December 21. Sandcastle Park follows in spring 2027. The airport terminal is scheduled for fall 2027, and the new public safety building on Central Avenue for the end of 2028. The 14th-to-16th Street Boardwalk section has no published end date. The Music Pier has a $250,000 line in the 2026 capital plan, but the Ocean City Sentinel's report doesn't describe what that money covers or when the work happens.

The first new public space on that list to open will be the playground and courts at 34th Street, set for spring 2027.

If you live near one of these sites and want to talk through what the completed work could mean for your plans, the McCann Team follows these timelines as closely as you do. Let's Build Your Next Chapter.