Posted on December 21, 2025
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Over the last five years, the dunes along the Grand Strand have been hit by hurricanes and king tides, causing severe erosion.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kicked off its renourishment project, looking to repair and rebuild.
Over the next few months, crews from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company will transport 2 million cubic yards of sand from the ocean to the shores through an offshore dredge.
The $72 Million project is fully funded by the Army Corps, who emphasize its importance.
“It’s a project that’s definitely needed to ensure the protection of infrastructure behind the beach,” project manager Wes Wilson said.
The project was last seen in the Grand Strand in 2019. Since then, the project’s need has continued to grow.
“Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and Hurricane Debby in August of 2024, just those two recent weather events, cause severe erosion,” Wilson said. “But it’s not just tropical storms. We’re seeing more frequent king tides. We had a huge king tide and wind event in October that really ate into the dunes along the Grand Strand.”
Even with unpredictable storms, Wilson said they prepare for any developments prior to the project’s start date.
“To ensure that we have enough money, have enough sand in our borough area to ensure the beach gets built back to the design template, which maximizes that protection for future storm events,” he said.
The project is estimated to hit Myrtle Beach in February and Surfside Beach in April, a timeline that Wilson said is based on multiple factors.
“Once the contractor estimates how long it’s going to take them to complete a section and then move to the next section, that’s really factored into the schedule,” he said. “You’ve got to take into account that part of that schedule includes some potential weather days.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created a tracker allowing the public to see when the beaches will be closed.
