Posted on February 21, 2022
BEAUFORT — Town officials are looking into major improvement projects along the Beaufort waterfront, including repair and/or replacement of the boardwalk and bulkhead along Taylors Creek.
The town board of commissioners met Feb. 14 for its regular meeting online via Zoom. During the meeting, Beaufort Harbor and Waterways Master Plan Advisory Committee chairman Doug Townsend presented the board with an update on the plan the board formed the committee in early 2021 to create.
According to Mr. Townsend, the existing concessionaire’s lease for the town’s transient docks expires Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. Under the existing lease, the town receives $178,336 per year in revenue. However, this revenue source is threatened by increased sediment flow into Beaufort Inlet, as well the aging waterfront boardwalk and bulkhead along Taylors Creek.
“The frequency of dredging is going to become very important,” Mr. Townsend said. Due to the collapse of the western tip of Shackleford Banks, there’s been an increase in shoaling in Bulkhead Channel, he said.
To address the increased sediment flow into the navigation lanes leading to the harbor, the committee recommends contracting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge a segment of Bulkhead Channel twice a year. It also recommends engaging with the ACE to dredge the entry to Gallant’s Channel in April 2022, as well as monitoring ACE soundings in both 2022 and the first half of 2023.
Keeping the channels dredged isn’t the only recommendation the committee made. Mr. Townsend said the committee has been working with Moffatt & Nichol engineering firm to assess the condition of the town’s waterfront infrastructure.
“The bulkhead is reaching the end of it’s useful life and will need to be replaced,” he said. “The boardwalk is also reaching the end of its life.”
To address the aging infrastructure issue, the committee is working on recommendations for repairs and/or replacement of the bulkhead and boardwalk. Mr. Townsend said the committee will have its final recommendations ready by Monday, March 21.
According to a report from Moffatt & Nichol, repairing the bulkhead may cost between $2.6 to $2.8 million, while replacing the bulkhead may cost about $4.3 million. The firm estimates repairs could extend the life of the existing bulkhead by about 17.5 years, while a replacement bulkhead would have an expected useful life of about 50 years.
Moffatt & Nichol also estimated replacing the boardwalk will cost either $1,617,512 or $1,941,014, the latter estimate reflecting the cost of using premium materials. Using basic materials would give the boardwalk an estimated lifespan of five years, while premium materials may last about 13 years.
The total cost estimates for both bulkhead and boardwalk projects, with premium boardwalk materials, range from about $4.6 million to $6.3 million Mr. Townsend said. However, there are both state and federal grants available which could cover up to $5,550,000 of the costs.
“We wouldn’t break ground on anything until we had those (grant) funds firmly in hand,” he said.
These proposed repair and/or replacement projects are part of the committee’s draft master harbor and waterways plan. Mr. Townsend said the final draft of the plan is should be complete in August.
“We believe if the Beaufort transient docks are popular along the eastern seaboard, it will put us in a good position to renegotiate the lease rates,” he said.
Among the proposed projects in the draft plan are converting the eastward parking lot on the waterfront into a community green space, closing Front Street from the Turner Street to Queen Street intersections and making this segment into a walking mall. The draft plan stresses, however, that nothing beyond work on the bulkhead and boardwalk should be undertaken unless town officials increase parking capacity in alternative locations as up to 95 parking spaces may be lost through the proposed projects.
Commissioner Bob Terwilliger seemed to like the way the master plan is developing. He said he agrees with Mr. Townsend that the dredging and infrastructure replacement or repair should take priority.
“I think all the options you (the committee) think are feasible and will benefit the town should be included,” Mr. Terwilliger said. “Nothing should be off the table.”
Commissioner John Hagle echoed Mr. Terwilliger’s support of the draft plan.
“I think this report will help people understand these aren’t decisions that have been made, but are options being considered,” Mr. Hagle said.
