Why parts of this famous NJ boardwalk have turned red

One of the best places to be on a summer day in New Jersey is walking on a boardwalk in a shore town. The smells and sounds can practically cast a spell on you.

There is one New Jersey town where the boardwalk itself has been a sight to behold.

Parts of the iconic boardwalk in Wildwood have turned red. No, they haven’t lost their minds and painted it. No, there's no upcoming Christmas in July celebration. Instead, sections had to be repaired and replaced and using state funds earmarked for rehabbing structures along our coastline they chose a Brazilian wood called curamu.

Thousands of pieces of this South American wood have been used between Schellenger and Spicer avenues. Wildwood is pleased with this choice because the wood isn’t as hollow as other kinds and tends to have fewer knots. On a boardwalk, pieces with knots create a tripping hazard as those knots lift off the surface.

And yes, it’s a reddish-brown, which has been fascinating people eyeing the project. However they say the reddish hue will end up fading fairly quickly.

As long as it’s real wood. For quite some time now certain towns have been replacing sections of aging boardwalks with synthetic materials. There’s nothing uglier and less Jersey than those faux wood planks.

If you’re itching to get back to the boards and feel the sun on your skin just think, it will be Memorial Day weekend in just eight weeks.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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