The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, awarded a $6.4 million contract on April 23 to Weeks Marine of Cranford, NJ., aimed to reduce risks to landside infrastructure on Gasparilla Island in Lee County.
The Gaparilla Island segment of the Lee County Shore Protection Project is 100% federally funded by the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency (FCCE) Act and Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
Located along the southwest coast of Florida, the Lee County Beach Erosion Control Project authorizes sand placement on three barrier islands, including Gasparilla. Hurricane Irma impacted Gasparilla Island in 2017, reducing sand volume and eroding the northern portion of the project.
The contract work involves renourishing approximately 1.4 miles of shoreline on the north reach and approximately 0.4 mile of shoreline on the south reach.
Under the plan, Weeks Marine will dredge and place about 161,000 cubic yards of sand on the eroded beach, bringing it to full restoration.
Project work also includes beach tilling, pipeline corridor hardbottom mapping, construction/vibration control and monitoring, turbidity and environmental species monitoring, beach fill remediation and incidental related work.
According to USACE, it is expected that the project will take about two months to complete the project, which is scheduled to start in late May.