The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company LLC of Oak Brook, Illinois for $7.21 million to conduct periodic nourishment of the Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management project.
The project is a joint effort of USACE and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The contract calls for dredging 409,000 cubic yards of sand from an offshore borrow site. The sand will be pumped through a series of pipes and placed on the beaches in Rehoboth Beach and in Dewey Beach.
GLDD is expected to begin dredging and beachfill operations in the fall of 2019 (possibly as early as October).
In Rehoboth Beach, sand will be placed on the beach in the northern portion of the community (between City Tennis Courts area on N. Surf Road south to the Bandstand Area). In Dewey Beach, sand will be placed on the beach between Swedes Street area south to the Beach Avenue area.
Depending on the condition of the beach based on surveys, the Army Corps could exercise contract options to place additional sand as part of the project (an additional 100,000 cubic yards). The total cost for the base contract and all options is $8.198 million.
The project is cost-shared between the Federal government and the State of Delaware. The Army Corps will issue a Notice to Proceed to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company in the next several weeks with construction expected to begin in the fall.
Project Background
The Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management project is located on the Atlantic coast of Delaware. Initial construction of a 125-foot berm backed by a dune at elevation +13.2 (North American Vertical Datum of 1988) was completed in 2005.
The project has been nourished/repaired in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2016. The project is designed to reduce storm damages to infrastructure.