The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District awarded a $2.06 million contract December 6th to dredge shoal material from Horseshoe Cove and the turning basin.
According to USACE, the dredging will return this area to its authorized depth of six feet, with one foot of allowable over-depth.
The Corps awarded the contract to the 4H Construction Corporation of Cleveland, Mississippi. Construction is expected to start in February and the estimated construction duration is roughly seven months.
“ This award represents great news for the Horseshoe Cove community,” said Project Manager Brandon Burch . “The long-awaited maintenance project will help ensure safe navigation through the channel and contribute to the quality of life of local residents and the fishing community in the area.”
The authorized federal channel is 1.75 miles long from the Gulf of Mexico to the village of Horseshoe Beach. Dredging will remove roughly 84,000 cubic yards of material from the channel.
The contract consists of a Base and one option. The Base work includes maintenance dredging at the Horseshoe Cove entrance channel and turning basin, from station 100+00 to station 183+00, and disposal of material to the upland disposal facility located about two miles from the project site.
Work also includes environmental species observers, turbidity monitoring, bird monitoring, sea turtle trawl sweeping and relocation, mobilization, and operation and maintenance of the disposal area. Option A consists of dredging of the remaining Horseshoe Cove turning basin from station 183+00 to station 190+73.6.
The maintenance dredging is 100 percent federally funded. The Army Corps of Engineers received supplemental funds provided in Public Law 115-123, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The act provides nearly $17.4 billion to the Corps for disaster recovery. Jacksonville District received $3.348 billion for long-term recovery investments in its area of responsibility, which includes Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.