Dredging operations related to the Fort Pierce Shore Protection Project are scheduled to begin next week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, said.
The project will place more than 300,000 cubic yards of sand on 1.3 miles of eroded beach in St. Lucie County. Sand placement will start immediately adjacent to the Fort Pierce Inlet South Jetty and move southward.
The project will reconstruct areas of eroded beach and provide hurricane storm damage reduction. A side benefit to the project is that it helps restore shorebird and marine turtle habitat, as well as improves recreational opportunities.
The Corps awarded a $6.24 million contract to Manson Construction Co. of Seattle Washington in September 2014. The company began mobilization activities this week, including equipment arrival and pipeline installation. Crews will dredge beach quality sand from an offshore borrow area and transport it via hopper dredge to the inlet where it will be pumped onto the beach via pipeline.
Dredging operations will run 24 hours daily, weather permitting. The project’s completion date is set for no later than the end of May 2015.
The Fort Pierce renourishment project is funded in partnership between the Army Corps of Engineers and St. Lucie County. St. Lucie County contributed $1.39 million and the federal government contributed $4.85 million to the project.
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