The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in its latest announcement that the Brevard County Shore Protection Project is now officially underway.
The project will renourish approximately 13.4 miles of shoreline using 1.1 million cubic yards of sand from the Canaveral Shoals Borrow Area II.
The contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD), will place sand on the North Reach (9.6 miles) and South Reach (3.8 miles). The North Reach is from Cape Canaveral through Cocoa Beach south to the northern end of Patrick Air Force Base. The South Reach includes the towns of Indialantic and Melbourne Beach.
Benefits from the project include reduced damage to property and infrastructure caused by future storm events and to ensure the beach is suitable for recreation and wildlife habitat, said USACE.
The beach will remain open to residents and visitors outside the work areas and the contractor expects to temporarily close at least 1,000 feet of beach at a time during the renourishment project.
The project is intended to restore the shoreline back to its designed level of storm protection that existed prior to the erosion from Hurricane Matthew and Irma. Benefits from the project include reduced damage to property and infrastructure, and to ensure the beach is suitable for recreation and wildlife habitat.
The cost of the project is $17.5 million and is 100 percent federally funded.
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