USACE Jacksonville District awarded a $27 million contract May 2, 2024, to Weeks Marine, Inc., of Cranford, New Jersey, for initial construction of the Flagler County, Florida, Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) project.
USACE will provide 65 percent of the total project costs and Flagler County, Florida, the project’s non-federal sponsor, will provide 35 percent of the beach construction along 3.5 miles of the county’s critically eroded Atlantic shoreline. Additional sections of the coastline will also be renourished both north and south of the federal project as part of this contract using non-federal funding.
The Flagler County CSRM project is a federally authorized, 50-year project designed to provide sustainable coastal storm risk management for property, critical infrastructure such as evacuation route SR A1A, and environmental habitat while providing recreational opportunities for residents and tourists.
When constructed, the project will provide a holistic, environmentally friendly defense against future storms, beach erosion and sea level rise. It will foster a more resilient coastal environment, allowing faster and less costly recovery in the wake of any future severe storm impacts. Upon completion of initial construction, the project will become eligible for emergency beach renourishment following significant storm events at 100 percent federal cost.
Initial construction is projected to take approximately nine months beginning in June 2024 with completion in March 2025, pending unforeseeable weather delays, and will encompass beach placement of approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of compatible material dredged from a federally managed borrow source approximately 12 miles offshore. Periodic nourishment is expected to occur in 11-year cycles determined by the extent of storm impact, wave erosion and sea level rise.
The project will include construction and extension of the coastal dune and berm (open beach) based on pre-Hurricane Matthew dimensions. Native beach slopes and grades will be maintained, resulting in a wider beach berm for recreation and storm protection.
The dune extension will be planted with native vegetation to promote dune stability and provide an expanded forage and habitat environment for a number of threatened and endangered species including nesting sea turtles and a variety of shorebirds.
During construction, the contractor will also place sand on, under and around public and private walkovers to maintain a continuous, protective dune profile. The sand will naturally settle and expose walkover steps over time.To ensure public safety, beach access will be restricted in the active construction zone (typically 500- 1500-foot long sections), but will remain open elsewhere along the beach. Sand ramps will be placed over shoreline pipelines approximately every 200-300 feet to ease beachgoer access to the water.
The USACE project will proceed in parallel with other non-federal projects along the Flagler Beach shoreline including a Florida Department of Transportation secant wall project, future asphalt paving and related activities. USACE and other public agencies will coordinate and advertise necessary road and access closures and detours as the simultaneous projects make progress. The public is requested to observe and comply with required access and traffic flow changes to ensure public safety.
Construction will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week with staging and beach access points located at Veterans Park, 6th Street South and to the south of the Pebble Beach HOA beachfront property. USACE, Flagler Co. and the City of Flagler Beach will provide an initial progress map to be followed with weekly to ensure the public can stay up to date on progress and projected dates for each area to be under construction and completed.