Dredge Ellis Island completes maintenance in Norfolk; Beach nourishment projects to continue upon its return to Dare County

Image of the Ellis Island dredge [Courtesy of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co.]

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. has announced that the dredge Ellis Island—which left Buxton on Monday, July 18, 2022, to head to Norfolk, Virginia, for repairs, maintenance and refueling—left port in Norfolk Friday, July 22, 2022 to make its return to Dare County.

The current plan is for the Ellis Island to begin work on the Town of Nags Head’s beach nourishment project. If any issues are found in the subline during the testing process, the Ellis Island will leave Nags Head and head to Buxton to resume the beach nourishment operations that were previously paused.

If testing goes well and the dredge Ellis Island remains in Nags Head, then the Liberty Island will be assigned to the Buxton project once the Avon project is completed and the dredge takes time to refuel. With this scenario, work in Buxton would likely resume on Thursday, July 28, 2022, or Friday, July 29, 2022.

Click here to view the Buxton project map, which shows the section of shoreline where beach nourishment has been completed, as well as areas that are closed for the staging of construction equipment.

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