Kitsap approves emergency work for Point No Point

Repairs still needed after winter storms last year

By Tyler Shuey • October 24, 2023 1:30 am
File Photo Some of the flooding that occurred at Point No Point following severe winter storms last year.
File Photo Some of the flooding that occurred at Point No Point following severe winter storms last year.

After severe winter storms and other natural weather conditions damaged the shoreline along Point No Point in Hansville last year, Kitsap County commissioners declared an imminent danger to the area in efforts to expedite the state permit review process and allow emergency work outside the fish window.

Kitsap Parks proposed an emergency repair using beach nourishment material such as gravel and sand to return the shore elevations back to pre-storm conditions, county documents read. “This will provide temporary protection for the next storm season as permits are acquired for a full reconstruction process,” per documents.

For Phase 2 of the project, sand and gravel will be placed in the shoreline area and nearby uplands to create protective foredunes.

Public areas between Point No Point Road and Admiralty Inlet will be planted with native vegetation; subsurface layers of biodegradable coir mats will be placed in the beach nourishment area to slow erosion while vegetation gets established; rounded beach cobble will be placed waterward of the exposed parking area structural elements; and sand and gravel will be placed at the east beach area to repair storm damage on the shoreline.

The slated cost for both phases is $1.87 million. Phase 1 is expected to be complete by end of year and Phase 2 is expected to be complete by Oct. 15, 2024.

For construction, all access to the site will be completed by land via the existing road. The contractor will sometimes need to operate heavy equipment along the beach to place and grade nourishment, documents state. When feasible, work will be conducted from uplands to minimize impacts to beaches. If work along the beach is necessary, it will occur when it’s dry when areas are not inundated by tides.

During the storm in 2022, tidal waters overtopped the beach and shoreline as well as flooded Point No Point Road and nearby properties. Tidal waters also overtopped the pedestrian trail, flooding into the marsh area.

In response to those events, the county temporarily lined the park’s drive aisle with sand-filled super sacks under an emergency permit until a permanent repair can be constructed, per documents.