Posted on July 29, 2026
Equipment is ready and waiting for the dredge to arrive and begin Buxton’s beach nourishment project, but an exact date has not yet been announced.
Dare County said in an update two weeks ago that the contractor anticipates sand pumping to start as early as this week, depending on when Great Lakes Dredge and Dock’s dredge Liberty Island would be ready after undergoing repairs.
Monday morning, the contractor had bulldozers and other equipment staged at Cape Circle, and the subline that transports sand from the dredge to the beach is in place at the end of Oramar Drive.
A boat was working near the opposite end of the floating pipe located several hundred yards offshore.
Meanwhile, the massive pipes that will be placed along the beach to send the sand to its final location are stacked up alongside the Fessenden Center baseball field on N.C. 12
Crewmembers in the Old Lighthouse Road neighborhood said they had not yet heard when sand pumping will get underway.
As of Monday afternoon, the dredge was still docked at Great Lakes’ facility next to the Campostella Bridge in Norfolk.
The project was slated to begin earlier this month, but weather that slowed the Avon project and equipment issues has led to the most recent delay.
On June 22, the Liberty Island departed Avon and traveled to Norfolk for maintenance and repairs, according to the most recent update at MoreBeachToLove.com.
Shortly thereafter, the hopper dredge Amelia Island arrived in Dare County to complete the Avon beach nourishment project on June 25.
During maintenance in Norfolk, it was determined that the Liberty Island requires the replacement of a specialized pump used for beach nourishment operations.
While the pump was being fabricated, the dredge worked on a different type of project off the Florida coast.
“The vessel is not performing beach nourishment or dredging work elsewhere that would otherwise delay its arrival in Buxton,” the county said in its July 14 update.
To help maintain the original construction schedule, Great Lakes said a second dredge will arrive in in mid-August to assist with the Buxton project.
With the addition of the second dredge, the project is expected to remain on schedule for completion by September 30.
Approximately 2 million cubic yards of sand will be placed along Buxton’s oceanfront beaches over an estimated 95-day construction period, depending on weather and ocean conditions.
