JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (April 2, 2021) -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, will mobilize in mid-April to conduct a beach replenishment project at Fort Pierce, Florida.
The shore protection project will entail sand replenishment of approximately 1.3 miles of beach immediately south of the Fort Pierce Inlet. It is the continuation of a federal project initially constructed in 1971 with an additional 14 periodic and emergency re-nourishments carried out since 1999.
This placement is being executed under an $8.5 million contract awarded to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, LLC, of Oak Brook, Illinois, in September 2020. It calls for the placement of approximately 460,000 cubic yards of material drawn from the St. Lucie Shoals Complex, an Outer Continental Shelf borrow area located some 3.5 miles offshore. Offloading will take place from inside the south jetty of Fort Pierce Inlet.
Mobilization activities for the project will begin on April 9, and dredging and placement will begin on or about April 20. Dredging operations will be completed on or about May 13 and final demobilization on or about May 31.
Work will be under way 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays until completion. All equipment will be lighted in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard requirements. The Corps urges boaters and navigators to exercise caution when transiting work areas and to consult local Notice to Mariners for relevant updates.
The project is 77.76 percent funded by the federal government and 22.24 percent funded by St. Lucie County. Temporary restrictions to immediate work areas on the beach will be in effect while placement work is under way. Active monitoring of sea turtle nesting and relocation of nests will be conducted through the completion of beach operations.
For more information about Corps projects, please visit www.saj.usace.army.mil.
Release no. 21-024