NOVEMBER 1, 2017
– Patrick Dowling, NMB Public Information
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, recently awarded a $26.3 million contract for the Myrtle Beach Storm Damage Reduction Project to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC, which will place approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of material on North Myrtle Beach and Garden City and Surfside Beaches. This project is funded through federal emergency beach rehabilitation funding from Hurricane Matthew, along with cost-shared construction funding appropriated through Congress.
The North Myrtle Beach portion of the project is currently in process, where 400,000 cubic yards of material will be placed on areas of the beach without adequate dune protection.
Work has moved from the Cherry Grove section of the city to the Windy Hill section. There is still more renourishment work to be done in the Cherry Grove section and the move south for the time being is the contractor's choice.
The public can track the progress of the project on a real time basis at the link here. During active construction, the majority of these beaches will remain open and available for the public to enjoy.
The contractor works 24 hours a day, seven days a week during construction, usually completing up to 500 feet per day, barring mechanical or weather/sea condition delays. This means that active construction moves quickly and will only be in front of any particular building or area for two or three days.
Even then, the area fenced off is usually about 1000 feet long, so it's easy to go around the active construction area. Pipelines running along the beach outside of the fenced area can safely be crossed where the contractor places crossover sand ramps over the pipes. The public should keep away from lines and only cross them at the sand crossovers.
Since this project takes place during a portion of sea turtle nesting season, the Corps is working with South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts who have already begun relocating nests away from areas of the beach that will be nourished.
