A $19.5 million Galveston beach nourishment project that will replenish and expand seawall beaches from 12th to 61st streets is finally underway, reported the Park Board of Trustees.
This beach fill project, conducted by Weeks Marine Inc., is being funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Texas General Land Office, and the City of Galveston.
The project is using a “pipeline dredge” process that requires a 36-inch pipe to remain on the beach while crews are active. Pipes and pumps will move sand from the Galveston Ship Channel at Big Reef (east of East Beach) to the project site.
The staging area for the project is located at Stewart Beach, where construction equipment, pipes and pumps are housed, Galveston.com informs.
“This beach expansion project continues our mission to increase recreation areas for our visitors and to protect the seawall — and the island — from erosion and future storm surges, ” Kelly de Schaun, executive director of Galveston’s Park Board of Trustees said.
When complete in May, the beaches along this four-mile stretch are expected to be widened by 100 to 150 feet.
This latest project marks the third sand nourishment project to be undertaken in Galveston in recent months.
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