Posted on August 12, 2026
Steady progress continues on the $50 million beach nourishment project that is underway along the Buxton oceanfront.
Worldwide attention has been brought to the rapidly eroding shoreline, and the 21 houses that have collapsed in the Old Lighthouse Road neighborhood over the past 11 months.
And national news outlets have recently been following up on Dare County’s efforts to slow the erosion and prevent further collapses.
On Friday, the CBS Evening News aired a story about the project that began last week, that included an interview with Dare County Manager Bobby Outten.
The Buxton project calls for placing approximately two million cubic yards of sand along nearly 2.9 miles of shoreline between the Haulover Day Use Area and the end of Old Lighthouse Road.
Initial sand pumping started last week heading north to just beyond the motels.
Crews have since turned around to head south of the subline located near the end of Oramar Drive where sand is being pumped onshore by the dredge Liberty Island.
The sand is being dredged from a borrow area approximately two to three miles offshore.
Plans call for an initial base of sand to be placed along the area in front of the village and then more sand will be added, both to the visible shoreline and in the nearshore area, eventually stretching out over the entire project area.
That will expand the dry sand beach, while creating a gentle slope offshore that helps absorb energy from waves before they crashe onto the beach.
According to the county, the newly placed sand is similar to the native beach but initially appears slightly darker and is expected to lighten after exposure to the sun.
Along with widening the beach, berms will also be constructed to provide additional protection to both N.C. 12 and the oceanfront structures.
A second dredge is expected to arrive in Buxton within the next week to speed up the work.
Weather permitting, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company anticipates completing the project by the end of September.
At the same time, work is slated to begin next week on the $8.62 million repair of the southernmost Buxton groin, designed to help retain sand placed during this summer’s 2 million-cubic-yard beach nourishment project.
Dare County commissioners awarded the contract to SJ Hamill Construction to install a steel sheet-pile core, armor stone and scour protection, with at least 450 linear feet of the groin substantially completed by Dec. 15.
The National Park Service has closed public access for 300 feet of beach north and south of the project site off the former location of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, as well as the adjacent ocean area to the east.
Everyone should stay at least 300 feet from the groin area for safety purposes. Entry into the safety closure may delay project implementation, the Park Service said.
