Pinellas County begins major beach nourishment project

Construction will begin in the coming days on Pinellas County’s emergency beach nourishment project, which will include much of Sand Key, Treasure Island and Upham Beach. Work will begin at 197^th Avenue in Indian Shores with installation of the pipeline, the County said.

The project will involve dredging sand from portions of Egmont Shoal, Pass-a-Grille, Blind Pass and John’s Pass. 

The $125.7 million project will mostly be funded by the hotel bed tax, paid by visitors, plus at least $11 million of state grant funding.

Previous projects benefitted from a 65 percent federal cost-share through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but without Army Corps-compliant easements from all property owners, the County is not currently eligible for federal funding.

Indian Shores will remain mostly open during construction, although sections of the beach and parking areas will close temporarily when the contractor Weeks Marine is in the immediate area, the County said.