Reshaping of Broadkill Beach dune complete

A project designed to rebuild the protective dune of the Broadkill Beach community into a shape better suited for the natural wave action of Delaware Bay has been completed.

According to a project-specific webpage managed by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, work began in January and was completed in early March. According to DNREC, the contractor realigned and rebuilt the existing artificial dune and created a broader, more gently sloping beach.

About 10,000 cubic yards of sand were repositioned to construct the new dune alignment, said Michael Globetti, DNREC spokesperson, in an email April 16. An additional 1,500 to 2,000 cubic yards of excess material was stockpiled landward of the dune for future beach repairs, he said.

Final work included installing sand fencing on the landward side, and post-and-rope fencing on the bayward side and at pedestrian crossings. This design helps prevent sand buildup in crossings and avoids pushing the dune too close to the shoreline. The project required the removal of about 4,300 linear feet of existing fencing.

A total of 10,840 linear feet of new fencing was installed following construction, about one-third of which is sand fencing, and two-thirds is post-and-rope fencing, said Globetti. The installation spans the full bayfront and landward extent of the realigned dune, and reestablishes designated public pedestrian access points, he said.

According to the DNREC webpage, the project addressed erosion patterns that have persisted since 2015 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led a dune construction project. Over the past decade, the shoreline has naturally curved and shifted due to waves, tides and currents, said DNREC.

The main goal of this project was to reposition sand in the upper beach and dune areas, where it will stay in place better during storms instead of being repeatedly washed away, said DNREC. The dune was shifted slightly inland and reshaped based on known erosion trends to make it more stable and able to protect the beach during strong or repeated storms, said DNREC.

The total cost of the project was a little more than $248,000, said Globetti. This includes regrading, mobilization/demobilization, unit costs for fence removal and reinstallation, and an allowance for debris removal, he said.

There was a heavily damaged wooden ramp structure at the community’s main beach entrance at the end of Broadkill Road, but that was removed during the project.

There are no immediate plans to reconstruct an ADA-accessible structure at that location, said Globetti. The original ADA access was constructed as part of the Army Corps project and is not included under DNREC’s maintenance responsibilities, he said.