Dredging works at U.S. Naval Station Kings Bay wrapped up on March 31, which included maintenance dredging of the entrance channel and parts of the inner channel, returning the project to its authorized depths.
The project also included beneficial placement of beach compatible sand in the northern portion of Fernandina Beach in Nassau County.
Beach placement started near New York Avenue and ended around Jasmine Street. Due to the environmental turtle window, which only allows hopper dredging at certain times of the year, contractors were unable to complete full sand placement which goes as far south near Sadler Road.
Dutra Group will return November 1 to complete the remainder of the beach placement portion of the project.
The Corps estimates the contractor will place about 740,000 cubic yards at Fernandina Beach. The contractor will disperse about 1,020,000 cubic yards of non-beach compatible material between the approved nearshore disposal area and an offshore disposal site.
Sponsored by the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and the City of Fernandina Beach, the project is critical to commercial cargo transiting the port and also to the Navy base, which shares the entrance channel.
Fernandina Beach, Nassau County, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection contributed $1.6 million to the project allowing sand placement in critical areas on the beach.
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