Sand pumping operations were scheduled to start Monday, May 13, in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but strong offshore winds and waves have slowed offshore pipe mobilization, delaying the start of beach nourishment a few days, the City of North Myrtle Beach said in its latest release.
The project, which will see sand placed on 2.7 miles of the city’s nine miles of beach, will begin at Sea Mountain Highway and move north to 54th Avenue North. The other leg extends from Ocean Creek Drive to 43rd Avenue South.
“ The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveys of the beach determine sand placement in order to maintain the overall beach profile ,” the city said.
The project, to be undertaken by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD), replaces some 280,000 cubic yards of sand lost to Hurricane Florence. It was to have merged with last year’s Hurricane Irma beach nourishment project but delays in completing the Myrtle Beach segment pushed the North Myrtle Beach segment into this spring.
During active sand pumping, the vast majority of the beach will remain open and available for the public.
The public may track the project in real-time by using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District’s web mapper here.