A huge sigh of relief will soon be felt among thousands of people living in Middletown Township. The final phase of a major flood mitigation project is about to get underway.

Charles Rogers, 87, rode out a lot of storms in his Port Monmouth neighborhood.

"You'd wake up in the morning, swing your feet out of bed and you put your feet in the water, and you say, ‘That's not good,’" he said.

Rogers even rode out Superstorm Sandy.

Images of the destruction are still fresh in so many people's memories in Port Monmouth and Belford. Fast forward 12 years and the new flood protection plan is expected to end the risk.

"It's certainly in the top five of the largest and most expensive projects to occur in the state of New Jersey," said Middletown Township Mayor Tony Perry.

Already new flood walls, bulkheads and gates line the marshland.

The final phase of the $300 million Army Corps protection plan will close down a section of Broadway for two years to install the last gate, stopping nor'easter and hurricane storm surges from inundating the neighborhood.

"I think about the insurance claims the money the agony the pain that all go into rebuilding yet again just a decade plus after Superstorm Sandy," the mayor said.

According to Rogers, plans began to come together 30 years ago, but funding was diverted, leaving the area essentially unprepared for a storm like Sandy.

"You're not going to have to worry about losing property in your yard you're not going to worry about losing your vehicles which we've all done over a period of time," said Rogers.

The completion of the flood mitigation plan is expected to happen in the year 2028.