<strong>From staff reports</strong>

In spite of the recent wet weather in the Beaufort area, the Mossy Oaks Stormwater Project is making good progress.

“Last week, the project experienced a great deal of rain, and thankfully we did not experience flooding,” Mossy Oaks Multi-jurisdictional Drainage Task Force Chairman Col. Neal Pugliese, USMC (Ret.), said in a weekly release. “The project did lose several work days, but this week’s construction has been especially productive.”

In Basin I, work in the Jane Way/Duck Pond area has increased. Water and sewer lines are being relocated to accommodate two large 54-inch storm drain pipes across First Blvd. at the Duck Pond.

Work on the Spanish Moss Trail continued with two 20,000 pound head walls being installed along with 54-inch drain pipes with tidal flap gates being properly located and attached to the drainage system.

According to Pugilese, crews were to work a full three days ahead of Thanksgiving in order to fully install the drainage system across First Blvd. to the Duck Pond., and cleanup work along Jane Way will continue as the drainage system on that road nears completion.

Work will continue on the Spanish Moss Trail to replace a 1,000-foot sewage line with a new one to improve quality and function, about a two-week process. This would conclude drainage work on the Spanish Moss Trail, leaving only clean-up and repaving on the trail.

Pugilese says to expect the Spanish Moss Trail to reopen in early to mid-January, and the hope is to have First Blvd. open temporarily over the Thanksgiving break, barring unforeseen circumstances.

“The project is especially grateful to the residents of Jane Way and the Duck Pond for their exceptional patience and understanding,” Pugilese said in the release. “While the work is especially disruptive, the end result will be a drainage system that is capable of handling an enormous amount of stormwater and tidal surge. We are on track for an on-time, on-budget delivery of this project.”

As for Basin II, Pugilese said work is about 95 percent complete with all the improvements in the Southside Park and Broad Street areas.

The last of the storm drain boxes are being installed. To date, 2,400 feet of drainage pipe has been installed in the Broad Street area.

Work on the Spanish Moss Trail in this basin includes about 1,400 feet of Steel Sheet Pile being driven into the Spanish Moss Trail between Riverside Drive and Brotherhood Road. To date, 400 feet of steel wall has been installed.

This steel wall, as well as tidal flap gates, will prevent water from seeping under the Spanish Moss Trail and inundating the neighborhood with tidal water.

“We’ve got about another five weeks of really difficult work,” Pugilese said, “but we are making great progress.”

<b>STAY INFORMED</b>

All those affected by or interested in the Mossy Oaks Project should register with the “Notify Me” application found on the City of Beaufort website (https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/list.aspx) and subscribe to the Mossy Oaks Stormwater Project updates. This will be the mechanism to receive near real-time updates on the project to include urgent issues like unscheduled road closures or utility interruptions.