Price goes up $76K for rock wall to protect St. Simons beach
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — The price tag has increased for fortifying a rock wall to protect the beach on Georgia’s most populous barrier island.
Commissioners in Glynn County voted Thursday to add 710 tons (644 metric tonnes) of additional rock for a revetment at the southern end of St. Simons Island. The move will add nearly $76,000 to the $2.15 million project, which got underway in October, The Brunswick News reported.
Commissioners were told that contractors had underestimated how much rock was needed for the barrier, which is intended to keep waves from washing away sand and dunes on the beach.
Funding for the St. Simons revetment came from $10 million Georgia lawmakers approved in 2018 for communities across the state's 100-mile (160-kilometer) coast to renourish and fortify beaches damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017.