KURE BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - As the Town of Kure Beach hits three years since its last beach renourishment, the town is hitting a new problem: scheduling the next one.
Mayor Allen Oliver informed residents Tuesday the town only received one bid for its renourishment project. That bid came in at $37.5 million, nearly double the $19.6 million the town was expecting it to cost.
“Being double the amount is totally a rebid situation,” the mayor said Wednesday.
The postponement means the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will go back out to rebid the project in late April-early May. The town is hopeful the project can start, at the latest, by this time next year, Oliver said. The environmental window runs from mid-November through the end of April 2026.
The good news, the mayor said, is that most of the town’s beach is in good shape, with some exceptions toward the southern end of Kure Beach. Oliver is hopeful they can find a way to address those areas before a full project can get underway.
Maintaining the entire beach is critical to the small town and its economy, Oliver said, bringing thousands of visitors every summer.
“Tourism is our economy here,” he said. “And keeping a nice, open, viable beach that not only protects the beaches – but also the dune system, protects our roads, our infrastructure, our houses, our water and sewer infrastructure.”
But the benefits of renourishment are bigger than just dollars, according to the Engineer Corps.
“We do look forward to awarding the contract and putting sand on the beach next cycle, because these projects are important, right? The whole point of putting sand on the beach is to protect the infrastructure, to protect residences and the public. It’s safety,” said Dave Connolly, the chief of public affairs for the corps’ Wilmington district.
For now, the town is hopeful the project can pick up soon and can avoid a hectic storm season that could cause further damage to the town’s most valuable asset.
“It’s not the most favorable thing, but we’re in better shape than we have been in other years,” Oliver said. “So I think we’ll be fine.”
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