Sand is slowly creeping onto Soundside Drive in Nags Head.
It seems like a giant sand dune would be immobile, but folks have been noting the migration of Jockey’s Ridge to the south for well over 150 years. That southern migration has once again forced the Town of Nags Head to take action as Rob Morris writes in the Outer Banks Voice.
Ever-encroaching sand to be moved again at Jockey’s Ridge
By Rob Morris
As the dunes migrate steadily south, Jockey’s Ridge State Park plans to move 140,000 cubic yards of sand away from the southeast section of the property near Soundside Road.
Trucks with Hatchell Inc.will haul most of the sand to the northwest corner of the park near the main access on Carolista Drive.
The park’s Soundside Beach access will likely be closed periodically as 3,000 cubic yards of sand will be used for beach nourishment there.
A similar project had to be done in 2004, when 10,000 dump-truck loads of sand were hauled off from the southwest corner of the park, according to Coastal Review Online. A dumptruck can hold 10 to 14 cubic yards of sand.
Prevailing winds from the northeast in the winter push the dune tops to the southwest. Southwest winds in the summer do the opposite, but the movement has not balanced out, leaving the duneline near houses on Soundisde Road and its intersection with U.S. 158.
During the work, dump trucks will be traveling on Soundside Road and U.S 158 to transport the sand. The job is expected to take 120 days and will begin Jan. 2. Most of the work will be done between 8 and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
John Delucia with Albemarle and Associates is the project engineer.
