Dare County has announced that, in response to the rapid rate of erosion that is occurring along the shoreline on Hatteras Island, the beach nourishment projects that were originally scheduled for 2027 in the villages of Avon and Buxton will now take place in 2026. The decision to nourish portions of the beach in Buxton and Avon one year earlier than was previously planned was made during the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
The accelerated timeline for the upcoming maintenance beach nourishment projects is a proactive measure to stabilize portions of the beach that provide an essential buffer protecting N.C. Highway 12, which serves as a vital lifeline for Avon and Buxton, as well as the island’s southernmost villages of Frisco and Hatteras.
Beach nourishment projects in Dare County are designed to last approximately five years under normal conditions, and at the end of each five-year interval, renourishment—or “maintenance”—projects are necessary in order to restore the shoreline. In the summer of 2022, approximately 2.9 miles of shoreline in Buxton was nourished, as well as approximately 2.5 miles of shoreline in Avon.
Although Avon has not experienced erosion as rapidly as Buxton, the Dare County Board of Commissioners approved moving its renourishment project from 2027 to 2026 due to the significant amount of money the county will save in mobilization costs if the projects in both Buxton and Avon are performed at the same time.
Sufficient funding for the Avon and Buxton beach nourishment projects—which are expected to cost an estimated $30.4 million—is currently available in Dare County’s Beach Nourishment Fund, and completing these two projects in 2026 will not impact the funds that have already been committed to the maintenance beach nourishment projects that are still scheduled to take place in 2027 in the incorporated towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head.
For updates about the Avon and Buxton projects as more information becomes available, and for additional information about beach nourishment projects in Dare County—including a variety of frequently asked questions and a series of photos and videos from previously completed projects—please visit MoreBeachToLove.com or click the button below.