The Virginia Beach Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project, a joint effort by the city of Virginia Beach and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District, is slated to begin this week.

According to USACE, the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD) crews will work in roughly 1,000-feet sections of the beach, closest to the water, and access to these areas will be closed off to beachgoers to ensure public and contractor safety.

The remaining sections, outside the work zone, will remain open.

“Getting this completed before the hurricane season greatly reduces the risk from storm damage to the oceanfront infrastructure, and continues to show our commitment to protecting this vitally important area,” said Kristin Mazur, Norfolk District project manager.

The project consists of beach-berm renourishment along the Virginia Beach oceanfront to provide for a minimum elevation of 9 feet above sea level and minimum crest width of 100 feet.

The district is implementing an interactive map to track progress of the replenishment project. It provides real-time updates and is color-coded; green means construction is done and red means it’s ongoing.