Nags Head officials outline May–July timeline, turtle protections for 2026 beach nourishment project

NAGS HEAD, N.C. — Town staff and the engineering contractor told the board the 2026 Nags Head beach nourishment project will begin contractor mobilization April 19, with in‑water pipeline installation April 23–May 4 and dredging and beach-fill operations anticipated to run May 4 through a conservative July 6 end date.

The update, delivered by David (town staff) and Dr. Shadone of Maf Nickel, said the contractor plans to operate two dredges at once — a hopper dredge working the northern reach and a cutter (hydraulic) dredge operating in the south — to shorten the overall schedule. "They will be beginning mobilization April 19th," Dr. Shadone said.

Town and contractor officials emphasized environmental protections and public‑safety measures. Because the project coincides with sea‑turtle nesting season, the team said there will be continuous nighttime turtle monitoring at both work areas, morning clearance surveys by the local nest organization, and efforts to relocate or tow animals away from dredging operations. "Turtle monitoring given that this project is being constructed during nesting season are of paramount importance," Dr. Shadone said. The contractor also will perform daily visual turbidity monitoring, weekly laboratory sediment testing for material compatibility, and post‑construction compaction checks with tilling if required to restore nestability.

The presenters said the town previously awarded an additive alternate of 200,000 cubic yards of sand; exact placement of that material will be determined by preconstruction beach‑condition surveys the contractor's survey firm (NV5) will perform. Dr. Shadone described placement volumes varying by location — "hundreds of cubic yards per foot" in southern reaches versus roughly "30 cubic yards a foot" near Bonnet Street — and said the southern work will rebuild a wider dune and berm where erosion has been greatest.

The presentation summarized access and staging plans: the cutter dredge will use access points near Gulfstream Way and Junko Street with a modified special‑use permit to use ramp one through cooperation with the National Park Service; the hopper dredge will use Forest Street, Enterprise Street and Conch Street. The contractor will supply traffic‑control plans coordinated with NCDOT and the town, and officials warned of intermittent daytime closures (about 1,500–2,000 feet) and nighttime closures (about 1,000 feet) of beach access during active operations. Sand ramps are required every 500 feet at public accesses, the presenters said, and the team will try to maintain alternate access where safe.

Commissioner Harris asked about recreational impacts to fishing and surfing from moved sand bars and surf breaks. "Have you ever studied how long it takes for that to recover?" she asked. Dr. Shadone said he had not personally studied that specific recovery time and that return to prior conditions depends on wave climate and storms, noting recovery could occur by the following year under some conditions.

Officials also said they have reached out to the contractor about sequencing work so that the project does not directly conflict with Fourth of July events around the Nags Head Pier, and that weekly progress meetings will be held at town hall (Thursdays at 10 a.m.) with at least weekly site visits by the engineer.

The presentation closed with an announcement that the contractor will post daily work‑area updates on a publicly accessible progress map on the town website. The second part of the agenda item — a formal request for an annual beach‑condition survey — was announced at the start of the presentation but not detailed in this portion of the meeting.

What's next: weekly progress meetings will begin during mobilization; the town will publish daily updates on the project progress map and coordinate traffic plans with NCDOT as mobilization begins.