Posted on March 13, 2024
The project to dredge Bogue Inlet and deposit sand on Emerald Isle beaches began in early January and was supposed to be complete by mid-February but is now expected to conclude by March 25.
“Unfortunately, the contractor has experienced several issues that have again delayed the project,” Emerald Isle Town Manager Matt Zapp said late last week. “Per Army Corp of Engineers representatives, the estimated completion has been extended to March 25.”
Emerald Isle banned beach driving, for safety reasons, from west of Doe Drive access ramp to The Point between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, and that ban has been extended through March 25. More than 10 miles of beach remain open for driving, always popular in Emerald Isle.
The inlet is the main passageway from interior waters to the ocean for commercial and recreational boaters in western Carteret County and eastern Onslow County.
In the project, a joint effort between Carteret County, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor is dredging approximately 200,000 cubic yards of material from the Bogue Inlet Crossing on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICWW).
This material is being strategically placed to nourish the beach at The Point in Emerald Isle, starting 1,500 feet from the inlet and continuing east until project completion. The project is anticipated to conclude near Doe Drive.
Last month, Carteret County Shore Protection Officer Ryan Davenport had warned that while the project was on track for completion within the designated timeframe, “Potential delays due to weather or equipment malfunction are always a possibility.”
Carteret County, the town and the North Carolina Shallow Draft Navigation Fund are using a MOA with the Army Corps Engineers to collectively fund the project. It’s the seventh time since 2006 that this type of project has been done.
Shallow-draft navigation channels are defined as inlets no deeper than 16 feet, a river entrance to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway or other interior coastal waterways. There are more than 10 shallow-draft inlet navigation channels along the state’s coast.
The fund, created by the state in 2013, gets its money from portions of boater registration fees and the marine fuel excise tax.
It’s a $2.66 million project, with the state contributing $1.998 million, or 75 percent of the cost. Emerald Isle and the county each put up $333,125, or 12.5 percent. Together, the county money and the town’s money make up the required 25 percent local match for the state grant.
