The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the Virginia Beach replenishment project contract to Weeks Marine, of Camden N.J. The bid of $11.925M includes the placement of 1,250,000 cubic yards of sand from 17th Street to 70th Street. The federal investment for this re-nourishment cycle is $8.9M, or 65% of the total project cost (including design, construction and administration costs).
The Virginia Beach Public Works Department expects beach placement to begin December 1, 2012 and be completed by May 15, 2013. After an extensive mobilization effort, which could begin by late November, officials expect beach replenishment to begin at the south end of the beach at 15th Street and move northward as the project progresses. Access to the entire beach from 15th Street to 70th Street will not be restricted for the full duration of the project.
The contract will be administered by the Norfolk District, in partnership with the City of Virginia Beach. This will be the first beach replenishment contract since the initial construction of the Hurricane Protection System was completed in 2001. This project consists of re-nourishment of the beach berm along the Virginia Beach oceanfront to provide for a berm with a minimum elevation of 8.5 feet, the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NAVD), and a minimum crest width of 100 feet. Re-nourishment material is readily available in the offshore areas adjacent to the project area. These areas include the Thimble Shoal Channel and the Atlantic Ocean channel.
Weeks Marine performed the initial restoration of four million cubic yards at the resort beaches and was the replenishment contractor at Sandbridge Beach for three previous restoration projects.
“ These sand replenishment projects are vital to our coastline in terms of tide and erosion protection, ” said Virginia Beach Mayor William D. Sessoms Jr. “ We owe a special thanks to U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Scott Rigell for their persistent efforts in helping us time and again with these important projects. Without their help, the timeline that is so crucial in these types of projects would have been seriously jeopardized. ”
People can expect to see heavy equipment and contractor personnel in placement areas. Beach access will be restricted where work is ongoing to ensure the safety of the public as well as the contractor.
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Press Release, November 20, 2012