The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, announced that construction operations will begin for the Pinellas County Beach Erosion Control Project in January. A portion of the work is in response to impacts from Tropical Storm Debby’s passage in 2012, and is 100% federally funded under the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency (FCCE) program.
The Corps awarded the Pinellas County construction contract to Weeks Marine, Inc., to include renourishment of Treasure Island and Long Key beach segments. The Corps anticipates the contractor will start mobilizing equipment in early January and complete construction in early July 2014.
The beach renourishment project includes placing approximately 550,000 cubic-yards of beach quality sand along 15,000 feet of beach at an estimated cost of $16.2 million.
In total, Jacksonville District is placing 7.5 million cubic yards of sand on 38.5 miles of eroded beaches in Florida as part of the FCCE response. Beach renourishment provides significant storm damage protection for upland structures in addition to restoring shorebird and marine turtle habitat.
Due to safety concerns, some of Treasure Island and Long Key beach and access areas may be temporarily closed or restricted during construction.
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Press Release, December 11, 2013