Southport's Shoreline Work Runs on a Winter Clock

October 1 was the scheduled start of on-site work by Civil Works Contracting, LLC along Southport's Bay Street waterfront. The plan has crews moving from west to east between South Caswell Avenue and South Atlantic Avenue, and the City expects to finish by March 31, 2027. In the City's words, the Southport Shorefront Improvements Project is a "shoreline stabilization and coastal resiliency project." The schedule matters more than the label. The project is built in three segments, and for the rest of the fall season only the first one is scheduled to be active.

So this year's busiest waterfront weekends land on a partial work zone. Full-length construction along the water comes later, in the weeks between the holidays and early March.

Why the work starts in October

The October 1 start was set by the project's environmental permits. At the June 11, 2026 Board of Aldermen meeting, City Engineer staff explained that the first phase was paperwork and ordering materials, and that on-site construction would begin around October 1 "in accordance with environmental permit restrictions." That puts the work in the cooler months by design. The same board meeting covered the money side. Four bids came in, ranging from about $3.3 million to $4.3 million. Civil Works Contracting's bid of $3,294,674.47 was the lowest responsive one and matched the engineer's estimate of $3.3 million almost exactly. The three lowest bids landed within about four percent of each other.

The City is paying none of that. The project is fully funded by a $5 million grant from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund, with no local match required. Because the winning bid came in well under the grant, the City could award both the base bid and the alternate segments.

What's going into the water

The City's project page describes the goal as shoreline protection, beach restoration and dune enhancement meant to reduce erosion and storm damage along the waterfront. The engineering presentation in the June minutes lists five pieces:

• Offshore breakwaters
• Beach nourishment
• Dune restoration
• Native plantings
• Rock revetments

The mayor told the board that the waterfront "had experienced ongoing erosion" and that the project started years ago, under a previous administration, through a committee. Surveys, design, easements, permits and public workshops have all been done in the time since. This fall's scheduled construction is the last step of a long process.

The three segments, and what overlaps what

The City's posted schedule:

Read by date, Segment 1 runs alone from October 1 through December 15, about eleven weeks. From December 16 to February 8, the western and central segments run together. Segment 2 has a few days to itself after that. Then the central and eastern segments overlap from February 12 to March 1, and Segment 3 finishes on its own by March 23. The City says segments may overlap more than planned and that weather and field conditions can move the dates. WECT's report on the start date carried the same caveats.

The contract gives the March deadline some weight. Liquidated damages of $500 a day apply if the work goes past the contract completion date. The contractor also has to monitor vibration continuously, document conditions before and after construction, and provide a one-year warranty.

What to expect on Bay Street day to day

The City lists the usual effects: more construction vehicles, heavy equipment, temporary work zones and occasional noise. It also warns that parking or traffic may be restricted for a while and that parts of the project area may be closed to the public for safety.

The June minutes add more detail. Most materials will be stored off-site. The contractor is only allowed to bring in a day's worth of material at a time. On-site staging is limited to two spots: the parking lot beside Oliver's restaurant and the harbor walk area along the park. The contract also requires the contractor to repair or replace any City infrastructure damaged during the work. If a few parking spaces or a stretch of harbor walk near the park are blocked off this winter, the staging plan is the likely reason.

The fall calendar runs alongside Segment 1

None of the sources say any fall event has moved or changed its layout because of the construction. As of now, everything is still listed where it has always been. Here is what's left on the calendar, with what the shoreline schedule shows for each date:

1. Southport Fall Market, Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The City-sponsored market at Waterfront Park, 146 E. Bay St., has dates left on October 14, 21 and 28 and November 4 and 11. The City first announced the series in July for Wednesdays from September 23 through November 11. Every remaining market falls during the Segment 1-only period.
2. Howl-O-Ween Bowser Bash, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. On the Garrison Lawn at Fort Johnston, according to the City's October newsletter.
3. Hometown Harvest, Saturday, Oct. 24, 4 p.m. At Franklin Square Park, the same day.
4. Trunk or Treat and the Classic Car Show, Saturday, Oct. 31. Southport Fire Department's Trunk or Treat starts at 5 p.m. at Fire Headquarters. The newsletter also lists the Cape Fear Cruisers' Classic Car Show that Saturday but gives no time.
5. Southport Wooden Boat Show, Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event listing gives 102 S. Caswell Ave. as the address and describes boats on display in and around the Old Yacht Basin.

The Wooden Boat Show deserves a closer look. South Caswell Avenue is the western boundary of the project, and the work moves west to east, so the earliest construction starts at the Caswell end. The City hasn't said exactly where each segment begins and ends, though. The show's listing also doesn't mention any changes, so the safest assumption is that it runs as described. Any updates would come from the City and the show's organizers. The last Fall Market is November 11. Segment 2 starts December 16. That leaves about five weeks between the end of the fall event season and the start of the central waterfront work.

Eating near the work zone

Two waterfront restaurants posted fall hours on their own sites in September. Provision Company at 130 Yacht Basin Drive is open daily from 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner. Frying Pan is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday. If you're going to a Wednesday market and want lunch on the water afterward, both are open that day.

Away from the water, Lazo Hospitality Group plans to open Torii Hibachi Express at 4961 Long Beach Road SE, in the former San Felipe space next to Papa John's in Live Oak Village Shopping Center. Port City Daily reported today that the group is aiming for "late October or early November." That's a target, not a set opening date.

Winter is when the waterfront changes most

The calendar math points to January and February. That's when two segments run at once, the staging spots are in use, and parking and access limits are most likely to hit the central waterfront. Then, between February 12 and March 23, the work moves to the eastern end toward South Atlantic Avenue. If everything holds, the contractor wraps up by the end of March. At that point Southport's waterfront is planned to have offshore breakwaters, beach nourishment, restored dunes with native plantings, and rock revetments. The City's project page is the place to check for schedule changes as the segments move east.

Shoreline work like this tends to raise questions for anyone who owns, or is thinking about owning, near the water: how it affects erosion, how access works during construction, what to watch for afterward. I've worked alongside surveyors and builders on this coast since the 1990s, and I'm always glad to talk it through. If Southport's waterfront project has you curious, reach out to Kristen Dunn. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.