Beach Renourishment Project Update and Schedule
News Staff • November 8, 2023
With clear weather and calm waters the project is moving fast
The beach renourishment project could arguably be the most important change happening along the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach coast for the 2023/ 24 year. After significant erosion from hurricanes and storms, the distance of beach had diminished.
This fall the cities, state and FEMA began work to replace the sand by contracting one of the largest dredging firms in the US. The renourishment project will place over 2 million cubic yards of sand along five segments of the shoreline from Laguna Key westward to the AL/FL State Line on Perdido Key. The project is expected to last through February 2024.
HOW DOES IT WORK:
Local residents have asked about how the dredging process works. In short, the large ships you see off the coast currently are vacuuming up sand from offshores and pumping it onto the beach areas. The dredging ship, owned and operated by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, has the pumps on board to both pull from the floor of the gulf and push the sand through to the beach area. From there the bulldozers and other equipment spread it equally along the shore.
Currently over 237,178 cubic yards of sand has already been restored to the beaches. In total the project will place over 2 million cubic yards of sand along five segments of the shoreline.
THE SCHEDULE:
As stated by the engineers, Olsen Associates, the schedule is highly weather dependent and subject to change. These dates will change slightly and will be updated throughout construction with actual progress data. The dates listed are based upon an expected conservative daily production rate.
NOTE that multiple pipe landings will be in place at any given time, and sand placement may occur in limited quantities at adjacent pipe landings throughout this schedule, in order to facilitate continuing high production and progress. Also, beach tilling operations will follow the beach fill work shortly after the fill operations are completed in each segment.
Pipe Landing near Ocean House
GULF SHORES EAST Segment 1
900 block WBB westward to W. 12th Street
Start: October 30th
Finish: Week of October 30th
Pipe landing near Ocean House will be flipped to eastward operations
GULF SHORES EAST Segment 2
900 block WBB eastward to Main Beach
Start: Week of October 30th
Finish: Week of November 13th
Move to pipe landing near Sea’n’Suds, set to westward
GULF SHORES EAST Segment 3
Sea’n’Suds westward to Main Beach
Start: Week of November 13th
Finish: Week of November 20th
Pipe landing near Sea’n’Suds will be flipped to eastward operations
GULF SHORES EAST Segment 4
Sea’n’Suds eastward to Royal Palms and Park Boundary
Start: Week of November 20th
Finish: Week of November 27th
Operations move to West Beach Gulf Shores near Laguna Key
Pipe landing near 3125 WBB
GULF SHORES WEST Segment 1
3100 block of WBB westward through Laguna Key
Start: Week of November 27th
Finish: Week of November 27th
Pipe landing near 3125 WBB flipped to eastward operations
GULF SHORES WEST Segment 2
3100 block of WBB eastward to 2800 block WBB
Start: Week of November 27th
Finish: Week of December 4th
Operations move to pipe landing near 2441 WBB
GULF SHORES WEST Segment 3
2400 block of WBB westward to 2800 block WBB
Start: Week of December 4th
Finish: Week of December 11th
Pipe landing near 2441 WBB flipped to eastward operations
GULF SHORES WEST Segment 4
2400 block of WBB eastward to 2100 block WBB
Start: Week of December 11th
Finish: Week of December 11th
Operations move to pipe landing near 1841 WBB
GULF SHORES WEST Segment 5
1800 block of WBB westward to 2100 block WBB
Start: Week of December 11th
Finish: Week of December 18th
Pipe landing at 1841 WBB flips to eastward
Operations move to pipe landing near 1841 WBB
GULF SHORES WEST Segment 6
1800 block of WBB westward to 2100 block WBB
Start: Week of December 18th
Finish: Week of December 18th
Operations move to Gulf State Park
Pipe landing between the Lodge and Route 2
GULF STATE PARK SEGMENT 1
The Lodge segment
Start: Week of December 18th
Finish: Week of January 1st
Pipe landing between the Lodge and Route 2 flips to eastward
GULF STATE PARK SEGMENT 2
The Route 2 segment
Start: Week of January 1st
Finish: Week of January 8th
Operations move to Romar Beach – Orange Beach
Pipe landing near Sugar Beach
ORANGE BEACH SEGMENT 1
Sugar Beach westward to park boundary
Start: Week of January 8th
Finish: Week of January 8th
Pipe landing near Sugar Beach flips to eastward
ORANGE BEACH SEGMENT 2
Sugar Beach eastward to Welcome Center
Start: Week of January 8th
Finish: Week of January 15th
Pipe landing moves to Romar Beach Park area
ORANGE BEACH SEGMENT 3
Romar Beach Park westward to Welcome Center
Start: Week of January 15th
Finish: Week of January 22nd
Pipe landing near Romar Beach Park flips to eastward operations
ORANGE BEACH SEGMENT 4
Romar Beach Park eastward to Romar Vista Place
Start: Week of January 22nd
Finish: Week of January 29th
Pipe landing moves to Cotton Bayou Park area
ORANGE BEACH SEGMENT 5
Cotton Bayou Park westward to Romar Vista Place
Start: Week of January 29th
Finish: Week of February 5th
Pipe landing at Cotton Bayou Park area flips to eastward operations
ORANGE BEACH SEGMENT 6
Cotton Bayou Park eastward to The Palms
Start: Week of February 5th
Finish: Week of February 5th
Operations move to Perdido Key
Pipe landing near Dolphin Key
PERDIDO KEY SEGMENT
WinDrift to Phoenix X
Start: Week of February 5th
Finish: Week of February 12th
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