Annual Ocean Beach Sand Relocation Project Now Underway

For immediate release June 15, 2023 

Contact: Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Public Works, rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org 

ANNUAL OCEAN BEACH SAND RELOCATION PROJECT NOW UNDERWAY 

The operation strives to reduce recurring sand buildup on the Great Highway 

San Francisco, CA – This week, San Francisco Public Works began annual sand maintenance activities at Ocean Beach. The aim is to reduce the likelihood of sand buildup on the adjacent Great Highway during windy weather. 

Skilled Public Works Operations staff are using front-end loaders, backhoes and other heavy machinery to reduce the height and width of the sand dunes and move sand away from the roadway and toward the ocean – efforts that have been shown in past years to delay the natural progression of sand incursion onto the Great Highway. In all, crews will be moving approximately 30,000 cubic yards of sand. The operation runs through the end of the month. 

During the sand redistribution operation, southbound traffic lanes on the Great Highway, between Sloat Boulevard and Lincoln Way, will remain closed to vehicles. People who walk and bike are encouraged to shift their activities to the northbound lanes while crews are on the job, weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Crews are removing sand at the seawall, between Noriega and Santiago streets. The project also is addressing the excessive accumulation of sand at Judah Street and other hard-hit areas. 

Sporadic closures of the Great Highway, due to the buildup of windblown sand on the roadway, normally occur every year during the winter and spring months. In recent years, however, sand buildup has significantly worsened due to climate change and sustained high winds. 

Public Works has a small window to perform the annual sand redistribution work; it must be timed to make sure crews do not disturb the Western Snowy Plover, a small shorebird that is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The plovers can be found at Ocean Beach about 10 months out of the year but take off in the spring or early summer to nest in other coastal areas and inland salt flats. Monitors with the federal Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) have confirmed that the plovers have left Ocean Beach and that it is safe to begin relocating the sand. 

The work is being done in coordination with the GGNRA and under a special-use permit for activities that occur on federal parklands. 

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