WILL THE BEACH BE CLOSED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION?

During construction, the Contractor will have to close short segments of the beach in order to safely place and grade the new sand.  The Contractor will close only small areas of beach at any one time.  The work is expected to progress quickly and any particular area will only be affected for a few days, at most.  Sand ramps will be constructed over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline before the pipeline is removed from the finished areas of the project. 

WHAT PUBLIC ACCESS POINTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY CONSTRUCTION?

Public parking spots may be reduced or temporary closure may occur at the following access points:

• North Shore Rd. Beach Access, 100 North Shore Rd.

• Broadway St. Beach Access, 100 Broadway St.

• Gulfside Rd. Beach Access, 6399 Gulfside Rd.

• Bayfront Park Beach Access, 4001 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

• Monroe St. Beach Access, 3175 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

• Neptune Ave (Town Hall) Beach Access, 2825 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

WHAT ARE THE AUTHORIZED WORK HOURS?

Dredging and sand placement will occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Rock structure construction is limited to daylight hours, Monday through Saturday.

HOW MUCH SAND WILL BE PLACED DURING THESE PROJECTS?

A total of 825,000 cubic yards (cy) of sand will be placed in beach segments 1-4.  The amount of sand to be placed in beach segment 5 is estimated to be 200,000 cy (planned work for winter 2021/2022).

WHICH CONTRACTOR(S) WILL BE PERFORMING THE WORK?

• Rock structures work – Kelly Brothers, Inc.

• Beach nourishment work (Beach Segment 4 along Gulfside Rd.) – Cottrell Contracting Corp.

• Beach nourishment work (Beach Segments 1, 2, 3) – Weeks Marine, Inc.

• Beach Segment 5/6 nourishment and structure improvements – TBD

WHAT PROTECTIONS ARE PROVIDED FOR WILDLIFE DURING THE PROJECT?

Each day during the project, trained environmental monitors will be scanning the work areas for sea turtle nesting and shorebird activity.  Sea turtle nests laid within the immediate project work zone will be relocated to safe areas elsewhere on the island.  The environmental monitors will determine if buffer zones are needed to protect shorebirds.  The Contractors must abide by the environmental protection conditions listed in the State and Federal permits.

WHY HAVE SEISMIC MONITORS BEEN INSTALLED FOR THE PROJECT?

Vibration monitoring is a standard procedure on beach nourishment and coastal structure construction projects.  The monitors will measure ground vibrations and the monitoring personnel will ensure that construction operations are not producing vibrations that exceed safe limits.  Pre- and post-construction surveys of the buildings that are adjacent to the project will also be performed.  These surveys will be performed at no cost to the individual owner.