Hilton Head Island to begin $47.5m beach renourishment in August

The town of Hilton Head Island in South Carolina will begin a $47.5 million beach renourishment project on August 6 to replace sand along sections of shoreline lost to erosion and storm activity. The contractor for the project is Marinex Construction.

The project will occur in three phases with an anticipated completion date of May 2026. The first phase will start at Fish Haul Beach and is scheduled to continue through areas including Pine Island and Port Royal until mid-November. The second phase will run from November until May 2026, covering central and south island beach areas.

The town noted that work will progress in sections of about 1,000 feet (305 metres) at a time. On average, 300 feet of beach will be impacted per day. Mayor Alan Perry stated that the project is funded through the town’s beach preservation fund and capital improvement program.

Special measures will be taken to protect wildlife, including supervision by teams monitoring sea turtles and shorebirds. As a permit requirement from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the town has restricted dog activity in an area adjacent to Fish Haul Creek to protect endangered shorebirds.