Contractor preparing for inlet’s north beach replenishment
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ contractor responsible for a second round of beach replenishment on the beach north of the Indian River Inlet has begun to mobilize the heavy equipment needed for the project.
The pending replenishment is the second phase of a joint project between the Army Corps and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and is being done to protect critical infrastructure. Significant storms caused two dune breaches immediately north of the inlet twice in 2024 – once in March and then again in August. In response, the two government agencies announced a plan to pump about 800,000 cubic yards of sand onto the beach area immediately north of the inlet. DNREC completed its portion of the project earlier this year, when about 380,000 cubic yards were pumped.
The Army Corps announced a $8.1 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company in early August. The project calls for about 550,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed onto about 5,000 feet of the beach. The sand is coming from the ebb shoal of the inlet system, which is located about one mile offshore.
Steve Rochette, Army Corps spokesperson, said Great Lakes Dredge estimates work will begin around Thursday, Sept 25. That may shift slightly based on survey work and some other pre-construction coordination, he said.
Marielle Payton, Army Corps public affairs Army fellow, added some additional details. Work is expected to take four to six weeks. There will be partial beach closures during the project.
As work progresses, the contractor will close off about 1,000 feet of beach at a time during construction, she said.
The beach replenishment project isn’t the only project on the Army Corps’ docket at the inlet, as there are also repairs to the inlet’s north jetty. This project was originally planned to be done when the inlet’s north walkway was repaired through much of 2024 and into early 2025. However, it was not because more geotechnical data was needed to determine the best path forward.
Payton said the Army Corps anticipates awarding a contract for this project in January or February, with work potentially starting in spring 2026. There’s not a precise estimate on how long the work will take, she said.
Rochette said the contract period of performance for the north inlet repair will be two years. There won’t be a firm schedule estimate until after the contract is awarded, he said.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
