Two dredgers gear up for Nags Head beach nourishment

The Town of Nags Head said that the beach nourishment works are set to begin May 14, with initial equipment now being staged in south Nags Head near Camelot Street, around the 9700 block of South Old Oregon Inlet Road.

“During beach nourishment sand is pumped onto the beach from a dredger, or in our case, two dredgers (and two active construction/closed areas), in the ocean via a submerged pipeline. Construction typically proceeds in one direction from the submerged pipe (also known as a landing point or subline) for a few thousand feet and then proceeds in the other direction from the same landing point,” the Town said.

The first dredger is expected to begin pumping sand about May 14 at the southernmost landing point near Camelot Street in the 9700 block of South Old Oregon Inlet Road. This hydraulic dredge will remain stationed offshore, continuously pumping sand to the beach, unlike a hopper dredge, which must travel back and forth to the borrow area. Pumping is expected to move south first to the town line adjacent to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

After that section is complete, they will progress north from the Camelot landing point. Once that is complete, work will resume at a landing point near the Hargrove beach access in the 8300 block of South Old Oregon Inlet Road, where they will pump south and then north again.

A hopper dredger is expected to arrive to work in the northern area of Nags Head about May 26. This dredge will begin work at the northernmost landing point just south of Nags Head Pier in the vicinity of the 3400 block of South Virginia Dare Trail.

Construction will move north to 2919 South Virginia Dare Trail and then back to the landing point to head south to the next landing point near St. Andrews by the Sea Church in the 4200 block of South Virginia Dare Trail.

After the same process is completed at this landing point, construction will move to the final landing point near the Village Beach Club in the 6300 block of South Virginia Dare Trail.