Posted on May 18, 2026
On Friday, May 15, Dare County released the scheduled start dates for the upcoming beach nourishment projects in Avon and Buxton. At the May 11 Dare County Commissioners meeting, County Chief Financial Officer Matt Motyka put the total county project costs at $42.2 million for Buxton and $7.7 million for Avon. At that meeting, the Commissioners also approved expanding the Buxton project from 1.35 million cubic yards of sand to 2 million cubic yards. The Outer Banks Voice – After optimistic outlook on FEMA funding, Dare Board approves bigger Buxton nourishment project
Here is the scheduling information.
Dare County’s contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, currently expects to begin mobilizing equipment for the beach nourishment project in Avon on May 18, 2026. Pumping/sand placement is expected to begin May 24-26, 2026, depending on weather.
Great Lakes estimates that it will take approximately 2 weeks (14 days) to place approximately 375,000 cubic yards of material on the beach in Avon (weather dependent). The exact location where they will begin in Avon has not yet been determined by the contractor. Ramp 38, the staging area for the Avon project, will be closed until July 15 or completion of the project, whichever comes first.
Great Lakes then expects it to take approximately one week to demobilize all of their equipment and begin moving it to Buxton. The contractor currently expects to begin beach nourishment in Buxton in mid-June 2026, placing 2 million cubic yards of sand onto the beach over a period of approximately 95 days, depending on weather.
Visit www.MoreBeachToLove.com for the latest information about all 2026 beach nourishment projects taking place in Dare County. This includes projected timelines and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
