Port Royal’s popular Sands Beach is closing to the public for few months. Here’s why
Construction has begun on a $1.5 million causeway to Sands Beach in Port Royal where high tides have trapped more than a few unsuspecting visitors as the tides rise and the escape routes become awash with saltwater.
The popular beach on Battery Creek closed on Monday and will not be accessible for a few months during construction The result will be a safer way for visitors to get off the beach and back onto surface streets when the tide rises.
“We understand people will be inconvenienced,” Town Manager Van Willis said Tuesday, “but it had to happen and we wanted to get it started before summer started.”
The beach is popular with anglers and shark tooth hunters while many just visit to enjoy the view of the water and the magical sunsets.
But high tides from Battery Creek regularly seep across the area where people walk and drive to the beach from Sands Beach Road, creating large holes that are difficult to maneuver around. High tides, especially king tides, also can pose problems.
“You can be out there, then the tides will rise behind you,” Willis said. “There’s no way to get off the beach when that tide sneaks behind you. I don’t care how many signs we put up some people just don’t pay attention. The bridge will give you an egress to the beach regardless of the these tides.”
Residents have asked the town to do something about the condition of the beach access for years. But getting work permits in the sensitive area between the marsh and the beach has not been easy.
The town announced in December that it had received the approval from the Department of Health and Environmental Control for a causeway to carry pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic over the problem area.
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The town initially considered a system to pipe the water to the marsh but Willis said the town decided to go with the 200-foot-long timber causeway with pedestrian and vehicle lanes.
“This is the more environmentally sensitive way to do it,” Willis said. “That way we are not messing with the natural pathway of the water at all.”
Incentives have been placed in the contract to complete the project sooner than the deadline, Willis said, “because we understand people want to access The Sands.”
Work will be complete sometime in May, Willis said.
The town also is nearing the completion of repairs to the Henry Robinson Boardwalk, which is next door to Sands Beach. The boardwalk closed in late September after Tropical Storm Helene washed away a large section. The boardwalk will reopen in a week or so, Willis said.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 11:27 AM.
