JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Shore Protection Project to restore critically eroded beaches and dunes is now underway.
Approximately 850,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed on about 8 miles of eroded beaches, including Jacksonville, Neptune and Atlantic beaches and the southern mile of Hanna Park. The beach placement area starts at the southern end of the county (Mills Lane) and will end at 35th Street to Seminole Road. The project’s completion is set for January 2019 – weather dependent. Construction operations will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
During construction the contractor will close about 1,200 feet of beach at a time however other areas of the beach will remain open to residents and visitors. Outside of the active fill area, public access over the dredging pipes will occur every 300 to 400 feet. The work should proceed about 500 feet – or one to two city blocks – along the shore each day. The project will close the 16th Avenue South public parking area for equipment staging throughout construction. The pedestrian walkway will remain open.
Swimmers and surfers are strongly encouraged to avoid the construction area observe safety signs both on the beach and in water to avoid injury.The Corps asks the public to use caution around construction areas and to be patient with temporary construction noise as the project progresses.
Residents living close to the beach and near the active construction will likely hear heavy equipment and backup alarms. The alarms are a safety device required by law and cannot be turned off. The construction noise is temporary, and also dependent on wind direction and weather conditions.
The renourishment project includes a complete federal restoration of the beach and is 100 percent federally funded via the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act (Public Law 84-99) and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123). Between these two authorities, the total Federal funding allocation for the Corps’ Jacksonville District for hurricane recovery efforts so far exceeds $4 billion. Jacksonville District received a $3.348 billion allocation July 5 for long-term recovery investments in its area of responsibility, which includes Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This funding will go towards 14 studies and 19 projects that will help reduce flood risk to communities damaged by storm events.
Also, the City of Jacksonville fully funded an additional $1.7 million to renourish portions of eroded dunes from St. Johns County to Atlantic Beach and up to Hanna Park as part of the restoration project. Dune work will include repairs to existing dunes, new construction of dunes, followed by vegetation repairs and planting by the City of Jacksonville.
Project updates and progress maps will be available at www.saj.usace.army.mil and our social media pages – facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict and twitter.com/JaxStrong.
Media queries regarding dune work should be directed to Kevin Bodge, Ph.D. at 904-387-6114.
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