BUXTON, N.C. — A complete transformation of the Buxton oceanfront is now complete after 69 days of work. Though area residents were excited to see the project begin, that excitement remains now that 1.9 million cubic yards of sand have been placed on the beach.
"The piece of mind that gave, I think everybody in Buxton just gave a collective sigh of relief," said Jeff Dawson of the Buxton Civic Association.
I've introduced you to Jeff Dawson before. His family's roots in Buxton go back generations. That's his reaction to what it was like in the area as the most recent nor'easter battered the coast. Dawson's emotions are completely different now than they were this time last year, when houses were rapidly collapsing.
"At one point I'm looking at: do I sell my house, do I sell my business, do I move my kids out of the school system, do I start a life somewhere else that's not so difficult, that's not hounded constantly. Those thoughts were every day present in my mind," said Dawson.
Dare County announced Monday that Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. completed the nourishment project after 69 days of work. The placement of 1.9 million cubic yards of sand has put dozens of yards of sand in front of structures that as recent as this summer had the ocean just feet away from them.
"As far as Buxton's concerned, this has been just a tremendous, wonderful, helpful, let you sleep at night kind of event," said Dawson.
Though this chapter is closed, Buxton still has help on the way through repairs to the southernmost jetty, which residents hope will help keep the nourishment sand in place.
"I'm ecstatic to see what the jetty does," said Dawson.
Dawson said it's hard to describe what this all means for Buxton's future.
"Life can continue here, which has been a rare thing for the past three decades," said Dawson.
The nourishment project was recently cut just short of the expected 2 million cubic yards of sand. That's because there were 10 sea turtle deaths during the project's duration.
County officials told News 3 this unfortunately happened despite numerous protective measures being in place and that regulatory agencies made the decision to halt the project. The only area where sand was not placed was the northern taper, which county officials say is one of the least vulnerable areas of the project.
The full statement included in the release regarding the project's stoppage just short of full completion states:
"The project was completed in 69 calendar days, despite an interruption caused by a powerful late-September nor’easter. The final volume of sand is just short of the contract amount because operations ended earlier than anticipated due to the incidental take of 10 sea turtles, reaching the limit established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) special use permit. This occurred despite numerous protective measures in place to avoid impacts to turtles. The decision to end work was made in close coordination with resource and regulatory agencies, including U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and USACE."
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