Hutchinson Island residents and visitors will see work on local beaches this winter that will improve the barrier island’s resiliency to storm events and help reduce risks to infrastructure.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville District awarded the Martin County Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction contract September 26 to take sand from offshore and place it on four miles of Hutchinson Island eroded shoreline.
The Corps awarded the $7.2 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock of Oak Brook, Illinois.
“ Though this repair and renourishment project cam e about as a result of Hurricane Matthew, the timing of construction could not be better to armor Martin County’s further eroded beaches resulting from Hurricane Irma,” said Corps Project Manager Lacy Pfaff.
“This expedited project design was successful due to the partnership with Martin County and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Together, we took a design and coordination period that usually takes a year, down to six months.”
The project will place nearly a quarter-million cubic yards of sand on four miles of eroded beach, widening the beach berm and raising the elevation of the beach. The amount of increased beach width and height will vary along the shoreline. The Corps anticipates project work will start in November and finish by March.
“We have pushed our program to successfully emphasize Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Hermine responses, ” said Tim Murphy, Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management.
“ We have awarded six contracts to date and have two more to award by December of this year. Our teams are continuing to press so we can quickly implement recovery actions for Hurricane Irma as well.”
The Martin County project is partially paid for by Flood Control and Coastal Emergency (FCCE) funds due to damages incurred from Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.
While Hurricane Matthew and this year’s Hurricane Irma resulted in significant erosion on some Florida beaches, Corps findings show the federal projects performed well.
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