Dredging Officially Underway On Long Beach Shore

Work on the Long Beach beach expansion project has finally begun, and crews from the Army Corps of Engineers can be seen working on the sand right now.

A dredge is anchored about a half mile off the coast of Long Beach and is pumping sand from underwater to the shore, where it is being smoothed and spread out by crews on land. Work began over the weekend, and is expected to continue for weeks.

The sand that's on the beach right now, though, is very dark, nearing black. A representative from the Army Corps explained that the sand that's being pumped out hasn't been exposed to sand for a very long time, if ever. But after a few days, the sand will dry and match the existing sand on the shore. The Army Corps said that, before dredging began, sand samples were taken from the site and tested to make sure it would match the existing sand.

As of now, construction is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. However, the city is considering a noise variance to allow work to happen 24 hours a day. If that is approved, it would allow crews to finish about 200 feet of coastline per day -- double what they could get done without the variance. At this pace, the Army Corps estimates it will take about a month to go from Ohio Avenue to New York Avenue, a distance of about .8 miles.

Once the crew has moved from the work area, the sand will be smoothed, graded and ready for use. However, there will still be a 30-inch pipe left on the beach in some areas. While beachgoers shouldn't touch the pipe, there will be ramps made of sand to get over the pipe.

Photo courtesy Army Corps of Engineers