UPDATE: Beach nourishment project is one-thirdcomplete at S-curves

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to nourish the beach at the S-curves along Highway 12 and in north Rodanthe is now about one-third complete, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

About 500,000 cubic yards of sand has been pumped.

Large swells this week hampered work to install a second pipeline that will be used by the Dredge Alaska when it arrives on the site. The Alaska was expected to arrive by today, but it is now expected to be Aug. 23-25 before it joins the dredge now working in the area.

The work started on the north end of the project area and is working south toward Mirlo Beach.  Areas of the beach will be closed to the public when the sand is being pumped onto them.

The Army Corps of Engineers awarded the $20.3 million contract in early July to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., LLC of Oak Brook, Ill. for the beach nourishment project Island to protect this vulnerable stretch of Highway 12. The Corps of Engineers is administering the contract for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The company expects to complete the project in mid-September, weather permitting.

The project is designed to provide several years of protection before a long-term project is completed for the stretch of Highway 12, locally known as the “S-curves” where storms, including hurricanes Sandy and Irene, resulted in severe beach erosion along the road in Dare County.

NCDOT is considering two bridge alternatives as long-term solutions for maintaining the highway. They include a 2.3-mile bridge within the existing easement of Highway 12, and a 2.6-mile bridge that extends into the Pamlico Sound.

NCDOT held public meetings in January in Ocracoke, Rodanthe, Buxton and Manteo to present the two alternatives and gather feedback. The agency is still saying that a preferred alternative will be selected later this summer, with a contract awarded in the fall or early winter of 2014.

For more information on NCDOT’s efforts to strengthen Highway 12 in the Outer Banks, visit the N.C. 12 webpage, “like” the N.C. 12 Facebook page and follow the N.C. 12 Twitter account.