The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District awarded a contract on June 30 to Eastman Aggregate Enterprises, LLC, of Lake Worth, Florida, for $11,889,480.65, for the Miami Beach Hotspots beach renourishment project, part of the Miami-Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project.
The contractor will place 220,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand on more than 3,000 feet of critically eroded shoreline in two locations, near 46th Street and 54th Street. Between 18,500 and 22,000 truckloads of sand will be hauled from an upland sand mine to reduce the damages – economic, environmental, infrastructure, human health and safety – of tropical storms and hurricanes.
There will be two access points and staging areas for construction equipment, crews and trucks hauling sand. The beach will still be accessible by the public at both locations, but beach goers should use caution near the construction areas and stay out of the areas marked by orange fencing and barricades for their safety.
The crown of the fill area for the 46th Street erosional hotspot will begin just north of 44th Street, near the southern end of the Fontainebleu Hotel, 4441 Collins Avenue, and end between the twin towers of the Blue and Green Diamond Condominiums, 4775 Collins Avenue. The construction area will extend south past the Fontainebleu III Oceanfront Condominium and north to the northern end of the Blue Diamond Condominium, 4779 Collins Avenue. The access route and staging area will be at Indian Beach Park, 4601 Collins Avenue.
The access route and staging area for the erosional hotspot near 54th Street will be at Beach View Park, 5301 Collins Avenue, located south of the fill area. The crown of the fill area will begin north of the park, at the south end of the Carriage House Condominium, 5401 Collins Avenue, and end near the northerly end of the Castle Beach Condominium, 5445 Collins Avenue. The construction area will extend out in front of the La Costa Condo, 5333 Collins Avenue, on the south end, and the Oceanside Plaza Condominium, 5555 Collins Avenue, on the north end.
Fill operations, tilling, demobilization and restoration of the 46th Street access is scheduled to be complete by Nov. 9, 2016, with the remainder of the project complete by spring of 2017.
“The renourished beach will help protect infrastructure, including iconic, historically and architecturally significant buildings on South Beach,” said Laurel Reichold, Corps project manager. “The Corps builds beaches to protect infrastructure, preserve wildlife, support the economy, and build coastal resiliency. Widening the beach to about 230 feet also improves habitat for sea turtle nesting.”
“The Corps and our partners are coordinating closely to help keep the public informed about this project,” said Reichold. “We are planning a public meeting and project updates will be available on the web and shared widely on social media.”
The public is invited to attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, July 12 at 6 p.m. at the Ronald Shane Center, 6500 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33141. The meeting will be hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Miami-Dade County Division of Environmental Resources Management and the City of Miami Beach. A brief presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.
Construction at each location will progress from south to north, creating a berm to catch the sand flowing south along the shoreline with the current. The contractor may choose to work at both locations simultaneously.
The contractor will work weekdays, and weekends as needed. Approximate work hours at the access and staging areas, including the delivery of sand, will be 6 a.m. through 11 p.m. Beach work will take place between 7 a.m. or sunrise, whichever is later, through 7 p.m. or sunset, whichever is earlier.
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.
Due to safety concerns, some beach access areas will be closed and public access to the beach will be restricted during construction. 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.
"This contract was a 100 percent set-aside for small business concerns," said Beth Myers, deputy for the Office of Small Business Programs. "Our commitment to build and preserve the small industrial base contributes to diversity, competition and economic growth. Small businesses are a valued source for innovative, cost effective, customer- focused solutions."
Additional information on the Miami Beach Erosional Hotspots project is available at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Shore-Protection/Dade-County/Miami-Beach-Hotspots/
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 @MiamiDadeRER @MiamiDadeCounty @MiamiBeachNews