The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District announces the award of a construction contract and a public information meeting on October 22 for the Miami Beach Hotspots beach renourishment project.
The Jacksonville District awarded a contract on September 11 to Eastman Aggregate Enterprises, LLC, of Lake Worth, Florida, for $15,949,855, for the Miami Beach Hotspots beach renourishment project, part of the Miami-Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach will host a public meeting for the Miami Beach erosional Hotspots beach renourishment project Tuesday, October 22 at 6 p.m. at the Miami Beach Golf Club, 2301 Alton Road in Miami Beach. A brief presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.
The contractor will place approximately 305,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand from an upland mine on several beachfront hotspots to address beach erosion in the areas of 27th Street, 44th Street, 55th Street and 65th Street. The work is located between Bakers Haulover Inlet and Government Cut. The project will help provide storm protection for the coastal population and infrastructure, habitat for several endangered animals including sea turtles, and recreational beaches for visitors and residents. Construction is estimated to start in December and is expected to last approximately six months.
Trucks carrying loads of beach-quality sand will enter and exit the staging areas during operating hours for the duration of the project. Due to safety concerns, some beach access areas will be closed and public access to the beach will be restricted during construction. Members of the public should follow the instructions of construction personnel, observe all posted signs regarding closed areas and stay away from areas fenced with orange construction netting.
Work will be permitted 7 days per week, and no work will be permitted at the staging and access areas from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. Furthermore, no work will be performed seaward of the Erosion Control Line prior to sunrise or after sunset; and will not be permitted prior to 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. should the sun rise before 7 a.m. and/or the sun set after 7 p.m.
Miami-Dade County will conduct migratory shorebird and sea turtle monitoring daily, and relocate sea turtle nests if necessary. If there are any sea turtle nests in the construction area, they will be monitored and protected until the hatchlings have emerged from the nest. After daily environmental species monitoring and sea turtle nest relocations have been completed and the area has been cleared for construction, beach work will commence. However, construction operations in the area will cease if sea turtles are present at any time.
Because of the extensive construction activities for the next several months, motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and beach goers are asked to use caution along these areas of Miami Beach.
Hotspots at 44th Street and 55th Street were previously renourished between August 2016 and March 2017. This 2019-2020 renourishment project is 100 percent federally funded via the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123), which goes toward projects that will reduce risk to communities damaged by storm events.
The Miami-Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project consists of four phases being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which authorized a cycle of periodic beach nourishment for the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project in an amount up to $158,300,000 at 100% federal expense. In addition to the Miami Beach locations, several other coastal areas are scheduled for beach renourishment as well.
- Surfside: Construction crews are currently placing approximately 330,000 cubic yards of sand from an upland mine near Lake Okeechobee to address beach erosion along the entire Town of Surfside beachfront from 87th Terrace to 96th Street. Construction began August 19, 2019, and is scheduled to be complete by April 2020.
- Bal Harbour: Approximately 240,000 cubic yards of sand, dredged from Baker’s Haulover Inlet, Baker’s Haulover flood shoal and the Intracoastal Waterway, and from an upland sand mine if needed, will be placed on the beach from Baker’s Haulover Inlet to 96th Street to address beach erosion along the Town of Bal Harbour beachfront. Construction is slated to begin in July 2020.
- Sunny Isles: The last phase of the project is expected to begin in November of 2020 to replenish the sand along Sunny Isles Beach and remaining areas of Miami Beach, as needed. The plan may include an estimated volume of more than 1 million cubic yards of sand placed along most or all beachfront from the north end of Sunny Isles to Government Cut.
Additional information on the Miami Beach Erosional Hotspots project is available at: www.saj.usace.army.mil/MiamiBeachHotspots/
Project updates will be available on the web and social media, including the Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict/ and on Twitter @JaxStrong.