New Jersey Sea Wall 75 Percent Finished

A steel sea wall designed to protect two of the Jersey shore communities hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy is nearing completion.

New Jersey officials say the 4-mile-long sea wall in Mantoloking and Brick is 75 percent finished, and should be completed by mid-November.

State Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin says work was completed last week in Mantoloking, where virtually all the 521 homes that were there before Sandy were damaged or destroyed.

Work is progressing in Brick Township to the south.

The steep sheets are being pounded into the ground, then covered with sand to form makeshift dunes.

The work is designed to protect homes and nearby Route 35, a major north-south route along the coast that was heavily damaged in the storm.