Crews with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC of Oak Brook, Ill. have completed dredging and placing approximately 1.7 million cubic yards of sand in the location shown known as the “S-Curves” north of Rodanthe on Hatteras Island in Dare County.
The crews are currently in the process of demobilizing from the project site, which includes removing equipment and piping. Demobilization is expected to be complete in approximately one week.
Required tilling of the new beach has also been completed and a final inspection of the project is currently being scheduled. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will also perform a final survey of the off-shore borrow source where sand was dredged from for the project.
This N.C. Department of Transportation project, administered by the USACE, is designed to provide several years of protection before a long-term project is completed for this stretch of N.C. 12 in Dare County where storms, including Hurricane Sandy, resulted in severe beach erosion along the road.
The USACE awarded a $20.3 million contract in late June to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock for the project. The Federal Highway Administration approved Hurricane Sandy emergency relief funds to pay for this project. Work began in mid-July.
In addition to this project, NCDOT is also conducting feasibility studies for projects to protect N.C. 12 south of Rodanthe at identified “hot spots” on southern Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. The feasibility studies are expected to be complete this fall.
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Press Release, September 19, 2014