FENWICK ISLAND – Work on a long-awaited beach replenishment project in Fenwick Island has been postponed another week.
This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that beach replenishment work in Fenwick Island has been delayed to July 28.
Last year, the Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District awarded a $19.2 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company to dredge more than 1.4 million cubic yards of sand that will be used to fortify the beaches and dune system in Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island. The beach replenishment projects will address the beaches and dunes that were damaged by a Nor’easter in October of 2015 and Winter Storm Joaquin in January of 2016.
The overall project purpose is to place approximately 659,000 cubic yards of beach fill in Bethany Beach, 500,000 cubic yards in South Bethany and 278,000 cubic yards in Fenwick Island.
The work also includes the construction or repair of pedestrian, vehicle, and ADA accessible dune crossovers; the partial demolition of an ADA accessible crossover, including piles, post and rail fence; planting dune grass; and install new sand fence and post and rail fence.
In late February, officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District announced preliminary work, or “mobilization,” for the projects would begin in mid-April and beach replenishment work would begin in mid-May.
Because of delays on prior projects, however, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is now expected to start beach replenishment work in Fenwick Island on July 28.
The contractor will be moving from north to south, starting at Bethany Beach and ending in Fenwick Island.
Replenishment work in Fenwick Island is expected to take approximately 13 days to complete, weather permitting.
Despite delays in the beach replenishment project, it appears the timeline for dune grass planting remains unchanged. Planting will be completed between Nov. 15, 2018 and April 15, 2019.
