Wednesday, August 19, 2026
By Outer Banks Voice on February 4, 2026
With three quick voice votes at its Feb. 4 meeting, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners formally awarded the Town’s 2026 beach nourishment contract for $36.4 million to Weeks Marine.
The formal contract approval followed the approval of the Notice of Intent to Award a contract at the Board’s Dec. 17 meeting. The three bidders for the beach nourishment project were Manson Construction, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock and Weeks Marine. The bids were received on Nov. 13, and Weeks Marine submitted the low bid for the 2026 work. The Outer Banks Voice – Nags Head moves to award 2026 beach nourishment contract to Weeks Marine.
In a brief presentation at the Feb. 4 meeting, Town Engineer David Ryan said the contract approval would require votes on three different items.
- Issue the Notice of Award to Weeks Marine.
- Authorize the Town Manager to execute the construction contract for $36,412,600.
- Approve a beach nourishment capital project ordinance, which is required to pre-audit the contract.
Following the unanimous voice votes by the Commissioners, Mayor Ben Cahoon noted that “there’s still a lot of work to do on that, but we’re getting the ball rolling. Especially after this storm, I know we all recognize how [desperately] we need to do this project this summer.
Comments
Danny Ocean
Curious if the sand will only be added from 11MP south – nothing north of Bonnet St Beach Access? This is how the last project was done due to the way the sand shifts over time.
OBX Dan
Golly gee I sure do hope the Currituck County commissioners keep studying this issue. What leadership!
Ted
Yep that’s all currituck will be doing correct. The only coastal county in the state with a sliver of common sense left. It’s because the yanks haven’t completely displaced all the people that grew up there quite yet. So just wait Dan, if you’re not too old, you’ll get you’re wish someday.
Rhett
So I have to pay a technology fee for my boys to use a chromebook(they say textbooks are too expensive) , raise money every year when they play sports so the team can have travel polos and gear, but they got money to keep putting a bandaid on a problem that is only getting worse. Not saying we need the beach nourishment, but clearly our county has money that isn’t going towards locals with kids. Maybe they should start taxing oceanfront and NPO’s (more) to cover the cost.
Brett
That’s right Rhett, tax, tax, tax… The solution to everything is another tax… The extra taxes on vacation rentals and the sort go towards this project. Why should your kids education be funded by it? Maybe if you cant afford those fees you should move elsewhere?
$andman
In 2022 Buxton and Avon received 5.6 million in state grants for 2.9 miles of beach nourishment, Dare County coughed up the rest with a total cost of ~ $18.1 million, completed mid August 2022 that’s like 3.5 years.
20 homes have fallen in Buxton since September 2025, with that said its really only 3 years of somewhat added sand protection. The ocean wins again and always will, the earth is 70% water.
I tried to research total costs of beach nourishment in Dare county over the last 15 years, with a realistic cost of approximately $84 million however that number could well be over $120 million.
Now with $36.4 million for Nags Head in 2026 that number climbs rapidly. Ok granted that’s for about 10 miles of shoreline, which is a considerably large project.
Remember people, Nags Head has an approximate year round population of about 3500 people.
Tax payer question here, why hasn’t Dare County and the towns purchased their own dredge and equipment and trained county personnel ? You know.. employ people and be somewhat self sufficient, ohhh like Miss Katie?
What a novel idea.
I got to thinking about that question, and here is my answer:
Dare County or any Town for that matter is not in business to make money, they are here to tax you and use your tax money for their pet projects.
Through my career I worked for many upon many municipalities, yeah even here in Dare County and the raw truth is every department in these towns and county etc have to submit a budget for a new year. Often times in November I would receive calls (always phone calls) that they had money left over in their budget and needed to do an upgrade or maintenance maybe even purchase new equipment, and was always mentioned if we don’t spend our budget this year we will not get the comparable funding next year. YES people this is a true story over and over again.
Change is needed, who do you trust with your money?
Cheetah OBX
Is this truly the only solution(temporary) at such an astronomical cost???
What about an external artificial barrier reef(s)???
Notify me when the next fire happens…and I’ll bring my toothpaste cap to help with putting water on it…………..
SMH
Tax dollars being spent so investors can continue to make more money. Seems like a place that loves their No King protest would protest tax expenditures to make the rich richer. Short term rental properties should pay the brunt of this cost there are approximately 5400 short term rental properties in Dare County compared to 9450 owner occupied homes and 66 long term rentals. Since short term rental properties bring income and owner-occupied homes do not, why should residents and not these short-term barons absorb this cost?