Posted on March 7, 2022
Although one ship is temporarily leaving for fuel and maintenance, the dredging project placing sand along the west side of Oak Island is full-on with roughly 18-percent completed as of press time.
Sand is currently coming from Jay Bird Shoals, located at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The contractor also has the option of pulling beach-quality sand from the Central Reach, an approved site several miles offshore from Oak Island.
Sand from the hopper dredges started flowing onto the beach February 20. Crews have placed sand from the 4800 block of West Beach Drive to roughly the 3000 block. They are now working from the 4800 block to the 5100 block, said town spokesman Michael Emory.
The operation is running well, Emory reported. One of the two dredges – the Padre Island – will temporarily be out of service this week, Emory said. The other hopper dredge – the Dodge Island – will continue working around the clock.
The goal is to put about 765,000 cubic yards of sand from near Middleton Avenue to the western end of the island, replacing losses from Hurricane Florence in 2018.
The contractor is building a 10-foot-high dune and berm expected to push mean high water about 90 feet seaward. Most of the $17.5-million effort will be paid for by state and federal disaster funds.
Sand placement is scheduled to end April 6, with equipment moved off the beach by April 16.
The town has a map showing the progress of sand placement and the areas temporarily closed to the public. To learn more, visit www.oakislandnc.gov.
