Planning begins for phase two of replacing Avon’s 22 public beach boardwalks

Planning has started for phase two of a sweeping project to replace all 22 beach boardwalks in Avon, with three new boardwalks already completed.

The project is spearheaded by the Avon Property Owners Association (APOA), which also manages a range of community initiatives and events, such as supplying trash cans for Avon’s beaches and launching the annual 4^th of July fireworks display off the Avon Pier.

This latest endeavor is one of the APOA’s most ambitious projects yet, but the venture got off to a solid start, thanks to an Outer Banks Visitors Bureau (OBVB) grant to fund the first phase of the project, which required a 25% match of funds from the nonprofit APOA.

“The boardwalks were originally installed back in the 1980s, and over the years, APOA has been maintaining these boardwalks,” said Director George Hockenbury in an earlier interview with Island Free Press. “But it has come to the point where they need to be replaced. A lot of the support posts and railings are beginning to deteriorate, and the first three we [completed] were in especially bad shape.”

“It’s about $20,000 for each one, so it’s going to be a big undertaking,” he added.

The three new boardwalks are located at the end of Gulls Cry Road, Wahoo Circle, and Antillas Road, and these boardwalks were placed at the top of the priority list due to both the amount of foot traffic in the area and their degraded conditions..

Contractor Bert Rivera finished the first three structures in just a couple of months, and he is currently creating a plan to replace the next four high-priority boardwalks, located at Due East Road, Dolphin Lane, Tigrone Boulevard, and Dune Way.

“We are waiting for Bert Rivera to give us pricing on these four,” said Hockenbury. “Once we have pricing, the board will meet to decide which ones can be completed for 2026.”

APOA is once again applying for an OBVB Tourism Impact Grant, but these funds are not guaranteed, and financial assistance from the Avon community will allow more boardwalks to be completed in the months ahead, and before the start of the 2026 summer visitor season.

“The more support we receive from our Avon membership and businesses, the quicker the remaining 19 public beach boardwalks can be replaced,” stated the APOA in a July 2025 update on the project. “The APOA paying membership currently stands at 518 members. We’d love to see this membership grow and allow us to continue and build on so many great Avon projects!”

How to support the beach boardwalk replacement project

Individuals and businesses can make online donations at https://www.avonpoa.org/donate.
Donations can also be made via checks to the following address: APOA, P.O. Box 9, Avon, NC 27915. Checks can be made out to APOA.
For more information about becoming a member of the Avon Property Owners Association, visit https://www.avonpoa.org/.