August 19, 2016:

Beach-building operations are currently in the vicinity of the Portside Villas on Ft. Pickens Road and are progressing westward towards Park West and the National Seashore boundary.   Part of this work will include a repair of the dune features at Park West.  At their current pace, the Contractor expects to complete dredging and beach placement operations by August 27^th.

As of August 19^th, almost 1,600,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 640 hopper dredge loads of sand.

The Contractor will be working to manage the safety fences and push through each portion of the area as quickly as possible to minimize the disruptions on the beach.  Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 to 1,000 ft per day or more.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline. Pardon our progress.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 36 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  Some of these nests have begun to hatch and deliver hatchlings to the Gulf.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 96 loggerhead sea turtles, four Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and two Leatherback sea turtles.

August 15, 2016:

Beach-building operations have shifted to Ft. Pickens Road and the Sans Souci area.  Over the weekend the Contractor floated a new submerged pipeline to the area just east of Starboard Village and began  placing sand eastward toward Sans Souci and Seahorse.  This work will continue until the 16^th  or 17^th (approx.) when the work reaches the dune preserve area near The Cross.  At that point the fill operations will flip to westward for the last segment of the work, building the beaches down through Park West to the National Seashore boundary.  Part of the work will include a repair of the dune features at Park West.  At their current pace, the Contractor expects to complete dredging and beach placement operations by the end of next week.

As of August 14^th, almost 1,500,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 597 hopper dredge loads of sand.

The Contractor will be working to manage the safety fences and push through each portion of the area as quickly as possible to minimize the disruptions on the beach.  Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 to 1,000 ft per day or more.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline. Pardon our progress.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 34 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  Some of these nests have begun to hatch and deliver hatchlings to the Gulf.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 88 loggerhead sea turtles, four Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and two Leatherback sea turtles.

August 10, 2016:

The beach fill operations have passed through the Casino Beach area and the work is preparing to shift to the last submerged Pipeline Landing, #4, near the Sans Souci condominium.  At the same time, the Contractor will be working in the next few days to remove the pipeline from the commercial/hotel core area, Casino Beach, and the fishing pier area.  Once the work at Pipeline Landing #4 commences, the beach fill will proceed eastward toward The Cross, but will stop short of that area.  The Cross is a traditionally stable to accretional area, and no maintenance beach fill is required there.  The area is likewise home to a large shorebird colony that must be avoided by the work.

Once the eastward fill toward The Cross is complete, the Contractor will move back to the Pipeline Landing #4 area and commence beach fill operations on the final segment of the project.  The beach fill will extend all the way to the Park West/National Seashore boundary, and is expected to be complete this month.  The Contractor will be working to manage the safety fences and push through the area as quickly as possible to minimize the disruptions on the beach.  Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline. Pardon our progress.

As of August 9^th, over 1,400,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of over 570 hopper dredge loads of sand.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 34 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  Some of these nests have begun to hatch and deliver hatchlings to the Gulf.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 85 loggerhead sea turtles, three Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and two Leatherback sea turtles.

August 5, 2016:

The beach fill operations are progressing westward through the commercial/hotel core area, Casino Beach, and the fishing pier area this weekend.  The Contractor will be working to manage the safety fences and push through the area as quickly as possible to minimize the disruptions on the beach.  The Contractor is expected to pause for a few hours this weekend once weather improves to shift the submerged pipeline at Avenida 10 westward near Crabs and the Hampton Inn.  This will allow the westward beach fill progress to reach to White Sands by the end of next week (Aug 11-12, approx.).  Once that point is reached, the beach fill operations will jump to Pipeline Landing #4 near Sans Souci along Ft. Pickens Rd.

As of August 4^th, over 1,250,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 515 hopper dredge loads of sand.

Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline. Pardon our progress.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 34 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  Some of these nests have begun to hatch and deliver hatchlings to the Gulf.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 78 loggerhead sea turtles, three Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and two Leatherback sea turtles.

July 29, 2016:

Beginning early next week, beach fill operations will begin progress through the commercial/hotel core area, Casino Beach, and the fishing pier area.

The beach fill operations shifted to Avenida 10, where Pipeline Landing #3 is positioned, on Thursday July 28^th.  Beach fill operations are progressing eastward back to Avenida 16/17 to tie-in with the already filled areas.  Once the fill is tied-in, operations will shift back to Avenida 10 and proceed westward.  This shift is expected to occur August 1^st or 2^nd, approx.

As of July 29^th, over 1,030,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 430 hopper dredge loads of sand.

Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline. Pardon our progress.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 33 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 70 loggerhead sea turtles, three Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and one Leatherback sea turtle.

July 26, 2016:

The beach fill operations flipped to the west at Avenida 23 on Wednesday the 20th and have progressed to Avenida 18.  UPDATE: Due to weather conditions, the Contractor will extend this segment slightly farther west, reaching nearly to Avenida 16 before operations jump from that area to Avenida 10, where Pipeline Landing #3 is positioned.  The completion of this segment of the fill and the move to Avenida 10 is expected to occur on or about July 28^th or 29^th.

Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach toward Avenida 16, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline.

Once operations move to Avenida 10, beach fill operations will progress eastward back to Avenida 16/17 to tie-in with the already filled areas.  This is expected to take less than a week, after which fill operations will move back to Avenida 10 and head westward.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  Pardon our progress.  As of July 26^th , almost 1,000,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 400 hopper dredge loads of sand.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 31 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 62 loggerhead sea turtles, three Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and one Leatherback sea turtle.

July 23, 2016:

The beach fill operations flipped to the west at Avenida 23 on Wednesday the 20th and have progressed to Avenida 20/21.  This westward segment will extend nearly to Avenida 17 before operations jump from that area to Avenida 10, where Pipeline Landing #3 is positioned.  The completion of this segment of the fill and the move to Avenida 10 is expected to occur on or about July 27th.

Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach toward Avenida 17, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.  Sand ramps are being built over the shore-pipe to allow access to the waterline.

Once operations move to Avenida 10, beach fill operations will progress eastward back to Avenida 17/18 to tie-in with the already filled areas.  This is expected to take less than a week, after which fill operations will move back to Avenida 10 and head westward.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  Pardon our progress.  As of July 22nd, over 900,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 360 hopper dredge loads of sand.

2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 30 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 58 loggerhead sea turtles, three Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and one Leatherback sea turtle

July 19, 2016:

The beach fill operations are rapidly progress eastward from Pipeline Landing #2 near Avenida 23 toward the previously filled area near Portofino.  The Contractor expects to reach that point tomorrow afternoon (July 20^th), at which point the beach fill operations will shift back to Avenida 23 and begin to progress westward along Ariola Drive to approximately Avenida 17/18.

Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach from Avenida 23, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible.

The western progress along Ariola Drive to Avenida 17/18 is expected to take approximately a week to complete, after which time the fill operations will jump to the next Pipeline Landing (#3) near Avenida 10.  This jump should occur mid-week of the week of July 25^th.  From Avenida 10, beach fill operations will progress eastward back to Avenida 17/18.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  Pardon our progress.  As of July 19th, roughly 790,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 325 hopper dredge loads of sand.

Personnel from the National Park Service continue to monitor for shorebirds, and they continue to relocate sea turtle nests from the beach fill areas to safe areas in the adjacent park lands.  2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 30 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 47 loggerhead sea turtles, two Kemps Ridley sea turtles, and one Leatherback sea turtle.

July 13, 2016:

The beach fill operations have moved to Pipeline Landing #2 near Avenida 23.  Work will proceed eastward to tie back into the recently completed fill area near Portofino.

Beach fill operations are expected to move rapidly down the beach from Avenida 23, with pipeline advances of roughly 500 ft per day or greater.  The construction zone fences will likewise be moved along with the pipeline progress in order to free up beach space as much and as quickly as possible. The eastern progress is expected to take approximately a week to complete, after which time the fill operations will return to Avenida 23 (week of April 18^th) and proceed westward along Ariola Drive from Pipeline Landing #2.  To complete the beach fill segments as quickly as possible, work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  Pardon our progress.  As of July12th, roughly 630,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 256 hopper dredge loads of sand.

Personnel from the National Park Service continue to monitor for shorebirds, and they continue to relocate sea turtle nests from the beach fill areas to safe areas in the adjacent park lands.  2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 27 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being safely relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 27 loggerhead sea turtles and one Kemps Ridley sea turtle.

July 12, 2016:

The beach fill operations have reached the Portofino area and nearing completion of the work from Pipeline Landing #1.  On Wed July 13th , the Contractor plans to conclude pumping on the current pipeline and move the beach fill operation to Pipeline Landing #2 near Avenida 23.  Roughly 600,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 250 hopper dredge loads of sand.

The work at Avenida 23 will proceed eastward to tie back into the area just completed near Portofino.  This is expected to take approximately a week to complete.  Work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  Pardon our progress.

Personnel from the National Park Service continue to monitor for shorebirds, and they continue to relocate sea turtle nests from the beach fill areas to safe areas in the adjacent park lands.  2016 has been a record year for nesting sea turtles, with 27 nests laid along the 8.1-mile length of Pensacola Beach.  These nests have been relocated out of the beach fill areas.  Likewise, sea turtles are being safely relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 23 loggerhead sea turtles and one Kemps Ridley sea turtle.

July 6, 2016:

Weeks Marine, Inc., is making great progress along the east end of Pensacola Beach.  The first, easternmost segment of the 8-segment project, from the eastern dog park area eastward beyond Park East, was completed over the weekend and the beach fill discharge pipe was flipped to the west on July 4^th.  Over 400,000 cubic yards of sand have been pumped to the beach from the offshore borrow area, with the delivery of 170 hopper dredge loads of sand.

Work is now progressing westward on the second beach segment from the eastern dog park toward the Portofino area.  The beach fill operations are expected to reach the Portofino area early next week (week of July 11^th).  From there, beach fill operations will shift to the second submerged pipeline landing at Avenida 23.  From there, the beach building along the third beach segment will commence back to the east to tie into the previously filled area near Portofino.  Work will continue on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week basis through the end of the construction project.  Pardon our progress.

Personnel from the National Park Service continue to monitor for shorebirds, and they continue to relocate sea turtle nests from the beach fill areas to safe areas in the adjacent park lands.  Likewise, sea turtles are being safely relocated from the borrow area waters by a trawling and relocation operation that operates around the clock in front of the hopper dredges.  Thus far, the project trawling efforts have safely captured and relocated 18 loggerhead sea turtles.

June 21, 2016:

The first hopper dredge load of sand for the Pensacola Beach, FL, 2016 Beach Renourishment Project was pumped ashore just after noon today.

June 6, 2016:

Construction of the 8.1-mile renourishment of the Gulf of Mexico beaches at Pensacola Beach, FL, is scheduled to begin the week of June 20th, 2016.  Following the project delays over the winter of 2015-2016, the project Contractor, Weeks Marine, Inc. (WMI), of Covington, LA, will arrive in Pensacola Beach with two trailing suction hopper dredges, the R.N. Weeks and the B.E. Lindholm.

Work will commence on the eastern end of the project near Park East (see map, below) with the construction of Segment 1-East.  The project is expected to take 60-75 days to complete.  Beach fill operations will run 24 hours per day, 7 days per week until the project is complete.  Short segments of the beaches will be closed on a rolling basis as work is completed in those areas.

Personnel from the National Park Service will be working to monitor for sea turtle nests and relocate those nests that will be affected by oncoming nourishment activities.  NPS personnel will likewise be identifying and marking shorebird nesting and fledging areas.

February 25, 2016:

Construction of the beach renourishment of 8.1 miles of the Gulf of Mexico beaches at Pensacola Beach, FL, has been significantly hampered all winter by weather delays and mechanical issues. These factors have prevented the project Contractor, Weeks Marine, Inc., of Covington, LA, from completing the submerged pipeline from the beach to the borrow area in order to commence dredging. As a result, the Santa Rosa Island Authority and Weeks Marine, Inc., have agreed to a Change Order to the project Contract to allow the Contractor to demobilize the cutterhead-suction/ pipeline dredge, the R.S. Weeks, and its booster barge and other equipment from the area.

To complete the project, Weeks Marine, Inc., will return to Pensacola Beach with two trailing suction hopper dredges, the R.N. Weeks and the B.E. Lindholm. The same two dredges were utilized in the last nourishment of Pensacola Beach in 2005-2006. The hopper dredges, which do not require a full-length pipeline from the borrow area to the beach, will return to Pensacola Beach in late June or early July 2016 following the completion of the neighboring Navarre Beach renourishment project. For more information see the Pensacola News-Journal link (on left) from 25 February 2016

January 22, 2016:
Severe weather offshore and equipment problems continue to delay the start of sand placement. Work continues to complete the assembly of the submerged pipeline from the booster pump barge (visible on-site, about two miles offshore) to the offshore borrow area. Tests of the submerged line from the beach to the booster have been successful. Once the last portion of the submerged line is in place the dredge will be towed out and placed in position at the borrow area. Dredging operations will commence shortly thereafter.

On the beach, surveyors will be updating the current pre-dredge condition of the shoreline near Avenidas 15 to 17 prior to dredge startup. With the weather delay, enough shore-pipe and other beach operations equipment has been delivered in anticipation of project startup. Beach renourishment work will begin along the central portion of Ariola Drive, at the center of the project, and is expected to take approximately 2-3 months to complete.

December 31, 2015:
Work continues to complete the assembly of the submerged pipeline from the booster pump barge (visible on-site, about two miles offshore) to the offshore borrow area. Damage to one section of the subline during installation resulted in delays, further exacerbated by the weather conditions of the last two weeks. Once the last portion of the submerged line is in place — tentatively planned for New Years Day — the dredge will be towed out and placed in position at the borrow area. Dredging operations will commence shortly thereafter.

On the beach, surveyors will be updating the current pre-dredge condition of the shoreline near Avenidas 15 to 17 prior to dredge startup. With the weather delay, enough shore-pipe and other beach operations equipment has been delivered in anticipation of project startup. Beach renourishment work will begin along the central portion of Ariola Drive, at the center of the project, and is expected to take approximately 2-3 months to complete.

December 15, 2015:
Work is nearing completion on the assembly of the submerged pipeline from the booster pump barge (visible on-site, about two miles offshore) to the offshore borrow area. Once the last portion of the submerged line is in place the dredge will be towed out and placed in position at the borrow area. Dredging operations will commence shortly thereafter. The submerged line installation requires calmer seas offshore, not just at the beach, and such conditions have been limited in the last several weeks. The Contractor hopes to complete this operation this week.

In the meantime, shore-pipe and other beach operations equipment have been arriving at Ariola Drive in anticipation of start-up. Beach renourishment work will begin along the central portion of Ariola Drive, at the center of the project, and is expected to take approximately 2-3 months to complete.

December 7, 2015: Work continues to assemble the submerged pipeline and install the booster pump in the line prior to dredge hook-up and commencement of work. Offshore seas and the conditions at Pensacola Pass have slowed these operations.

The Santa Rosa Island Authority is preparing to commence work on the renourishment of 8.1 miles of the Gulf of Mexico beaches at Pensacola Beach, FL. Beach renourishment work will begin along the central portion of Ariola Drive, at the center of the project, and is expected to take approximately 2-3 months to complete. Sand placement will commence upon completion of the submerged line.

November 16, 2015: The Santa Rosa Island Authority is preparing to commence work this month on the renourishment of 8.1 miles of the Gulf of Mexico beaches at Pensacola Beach, FL. Beach renourishment work will begin along the central portion of Ariola Drive, at the center of the project, and is expected to take approximately 3 months to complete. The dredge and booster barge are on site and work is underway to place the submerged pipeline. Sand placement will commence upon completion of the submerged line.

 

November 1, 2015: The Santa Rosa Island Authority is preparing to commence work this month on the renourishment of 8.1 miles of the Gulf of Mexico beaches at Pensacola Beach, FL. Beach renourishment work will begin along the central portion of Ariola Drive, at the center of the project, and is expected to take approximately 3 months to complete. The dredge is due to arrive on site during the week of November 16th, 2015. Work will begin on the submerged pipeline and initial surveys in the weeks preceding dredge arrival.

The selected Contractor, Weeks Marine, Inc., of Covingon, LA, will use a large cutterhead-suction/pipeline dredge, the R.S. Weeks. The dredge will excavate approximately 1.75 million cubic yards of sand, the equivalent of almost 117,000 dump-truck loads. The sand slurry will be pumped from the permitted offshore borrow area through the submerged pipeline to the center of the project along Ariola Drive. Once the 30” submerged pipeline reaches the shore, it will turn westward and sand will be spread by bulldozers as the beach fill is progressively constructed westward to Park West and the Ft. Pickens Gate. Once complete, the pipeline at Ariola Drive will be broken back and flipped to the east, where the beach fill will similarly be constructed eastward just beyond Park East.