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Details about two summertime beach nourishment projects were delivered on Thursday, March 24 in Buxton.

Up to 45 people attended the meeting at the Fessenden Center to hear details about the Avon and Buxton projects.

Some beach stretches in Avon and Buxton are eroded and in stormy weather Atlantic Ocean water runs under oceanfront houses and motels and over NC 12, disrupting travel and business on Hatteras Island.

Dredging is scheduled in the summertime because wave action is lowest, said Haiqing Liu Kaczkowski with Coastal Science and Engineering, Dare County’s design and engineering firm.

For these projects, the cost per cubic yard is $11.76, which is six dollars per cubic yard less than what Nags Head is paying for its project. By combining the two Hatteras Island projects, mobilization cost savings are $7.6 million less.

Avon’s 2.5 mile, one million cubic yard project will be first. Reach 1 is north of the Avon Pier. Reach 2 is south. Pumping will start in the middle and move toward the ends. North of the pier will be no dune construction. South of the pier, a dune will be constructed. Sand fencing and vegetation planting will come after the turtle nesting season.

The Avon project will require 40 dredging days. Anticipated finish is by August.

The Buxton project is almost three miles and calls for 1.2 million cubic yards. The project will build a six-foot dune.

The old Coast Guard station is the primary staging area. A secondary staging area is the parking lot at Ramp 38. Beach drivers should assume that Ramp 38 will be closed for the duration of the project, said Kaczkowski.

The active construction zone on the beach in both Avon and Buxton will be 800 to 1,000 feet.

Equipment staging in Avon is scheduled for May 2022 with construction starting early June. For Buxton, equipment staging is scheduled for June with construction starting in July. Construction time for both projects is 40 to 60 days.

Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert L. Woodard introduced the program and speakers, including Dave Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, Kaczkowski and Armand Riehl with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company. County manager Robert L. Outten answered questions. Board of Commissioners members attending were Vice Chairman Wally Overman and commissioners Ervin Bateman, Danny Couch and Steve House.

A video of the entire meeting will be posted on MoreBeachtoLove.com under Avon and Buxton projects and on Dare County’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/DareCounty.

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