VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the contract for the Sandbridge Beach replenishment project to Weeks Marine, of Camden N.J.  They were the low bidder with a bid of $15,350,000, all inclusive, to place 2 million cubic yards of sand along the five-mile beach from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the Dam Neck Naval Facility.

Virginia Beach Public Works Department expects beach placement to begin in December.  The project is to be completed by May 15, 2013.  After an extensive mobilization effort, which could begin by late November, officials expect beach replenishment to begin at the northern limits of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and progress northerly to the city limits at the Dam Neck Naval Facility.

The contract will be administered by the Norfolk District, in partnership with the City. This will be the fifth beach replenishment contract Weeks Marine has performed in Virginia Beach.  They performed the initial restoration of 4 million cubic yards at the resort beaches, and were the replenishment contractor at Sandbridge Beach for three previous restoration projects. 

“These sand replenishment projects are vital to our coastline in terms of tide and erosion protection,” said Virginia Beach Mayor William D. Sessoms Jr. “They not only protect our resort beaches, but are important to the areas that border our wildlife refuge and military bases.  

“We also owe a special thanks to U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Scott Rigell for their persistent efforts in helping us time and again with these important projects. Without their help, the timeline that is so crucial in these types of projects would have been seriously jeopardized.”