Contract awarded for Rehoboth and Dewey beach nourishment
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District announced Sept. 23 it has awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company LLC to conduct the replenishment of Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach. The $7.2 million project is a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control – 65 percent federal, 35 percent state.
According to a press release from the Army Corps, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is expected to begin work in fall 2019, possibly as early as October. The contract calls for dredging 409,000 cubic yards of sand from an offshore borrow site. The project calls for the dunes and associated beach access points to be repaired in certain areas; however, the majority of work includes widening the beach between the toe of the dune and the water line.
According to the press release, in Rehoboth Beach, sand will be placed on the beach in the northern portion of the beach – Surf Road south to the Bandstand. In Dewey Beach, sand will be placed between Swedes Street and Beach Avenue.
The Army Corps could exercise contract options to place an additional 100,000 cubic yards of sand. The total cost for the base contract and all options is approximately $8.2 million.
The Army Corps will issue a notice to proceed to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company in the next several weeks. The project, designed to reduce storm damage to infrastructure, has been done four times before – 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2016.
