NORFOLK — A project that adds height and widens the city’s beach by 60 feet nears completion as crews prepare to sprinkle final grains of sand along the coast.
The $34.5 million Willoughby and Vicinity storm damage reduction project, designed to improve coastal storm protection and provide more space for beach activities, ends Friday evening.
“The project is wrapping up on time and on budget, and now this area of Norfolk is more resilient against damage from wave energy during coastal storms,” Robert Pretlow, project manager, said in a city news release.
For the last 12 weeks, crews dredged up sand and pumped it along seven miles of Norfolk waterfront near the East Ocean View, Ocean View, and Willoughby Spit neighborhoods.
This is the largest storm damage reduction project the city has invested in, which adds 1.2 million cubic yards of sand to the shoreline, creating a five-foot slope above mean low water, according to the release.
The beach is expected to be nourished every seven to nine years as part of the project’s lifespan, and the city plans to monitor sand level in case the timeline calls for an adjustment.
“As a resilient city, we’re always looking at our coast and how mother nature and water impacts us,” Norfolk city council member Tommy Smigiel said.
“We know that for the protection of the homes and investment in Ocean View that beach nourishment is an important project but it is also about celebrating the fact that we have seven miles of beach and that people are enjoying it.
Follow Justin on Twitter @Justinbmmj or send a story idea to [email protected]
