Contract awarded in Grand Strand beach renourishment project

CHARLESTON, SC (WBTW) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 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.

The press release from the army corps of engineers says the project is funded through federal emergency beach rehabilitation funding from Hurricane Matthew, along with cost-shared construction funding appropriated through Congress.

The construction will begin near the Surfside Pier after July 15 and work north toward Myrtle Beach State Park. This is estimated to take 25-35 days barring any significant weather or mechanical delays.

After that section is complete, renourishment will then move south from the Surfside Beach Pier toward the southern project boundary in Georgetown County. This section is estimated to take an additional 30-35 days and should be complete by mid-September.

The Corps will be placing approximately 800,000 cubic yards of material on approximately 7.5 miles of Garden City and Surfside Beaches. The North Myrtle Beach portion of the project is expected to begin mid-September or October where 400,000 cubic yards of material will be placed on areas of the beach without adequate dune protection.

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.

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.People can track the progress of the project in real time online here.Information above is from a submitted press release.