The Duval County project was initially constructed in 1978-80 and since then, five principal renourishments occurred (1985-87, 1991, 1995, 2005, and 2011) in addition to periodic placement of maintenance-dredged sand. The beach renourishment occurs about every five to six years to maintain beaches at their original design as part of the project. The renourishment is funded in partnership with the City of Jacksonville, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Duval County; funded 38.4 percent locally and 61.6 percent federally. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the project throughout its 50-year lifecycle.
The goal of engineered shore projects is to reduce risk and promote coastal resilience. Shore projects help to reduce the damages – economic, environmental, infrastructure, human health and safety – of tropical storms and hurricanes. Thousands of residents and businesses in Duval County benefit from this shore project because storm events erode the beach rather than destroying coastal infrastructure. Coastal communities with engineered beaches have historically fared much better than other communities as proven by numerous studies.
Each renourishment corresponds to an engineer-designed template so that when storms occur, they affect the sand placement in the template and reduce impacts to the underlying beach foundation and landside infrastructure. The engineer design, which takes wave and tidal flow into consideration, makes best use of the natural system to preserve sand on the beach.
Along with providing economic stability and opportunities, beach nourishment projects also have inherent benefits in restoring critical habitat. It provides more sand for endangered sea turtles, which normally nest on the same beach where they hatch, to find sufficient areas for nesting. Several species of shorebirds also nest along the beach. And, of course, the beach is essential to the area’s economic driver, tourism.
Current Project Description: The renourishment will place roughly 650,000 cubic yards of quality sand on about seven miles of eroded beaches, including Jacksonville, Neptune and a portion of Atlantic Beach. This year’s construction will widen the beach berm by between 20 and 60 feet in width, and raise the elevation of the intertidal beach by about 3 to 5 feet. The amount of increased beach width and height will vary along the shoreline. The contractor will excavate sand from four offshore borrow areas located in federal waters. Construction is estimated at $13.57 million.
Location: The Corps anticipates construction will start in the south along the Duval/St. Johns County line and move northward through Jacksonville Beach to roughly 18th Street in Atlantic Beach.
Status:
• The Corps anticipates posting the first Construction Progress Map to city and Corps websites in late August, which will provide a tentative work timeline that’s updated weekly. The beach map will include areas in green (constructed), amber (in construction) and red (not completed), and include estimated dates.
• The City of Jacksonville’s state-permitted turtle observers started daily early-morning monitoring April 1 to carefully relocate nests to a safe location. The turtle monitors will continue operations throughout construction. Turtle nesting season runs May 1 through October 31. In addition to caring for sea turtles, another environmental group will start monitoring all local wildlife, including shorebirds, once construction operations start.
• The Corps’ contractor, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLD&D) Company, will mobilize pipes and equipment to the beach and dredging vessels offshore around mid-August timeframe. Dredging and beach construction operations will likely start by mid-September. Crews will dredge sand from borrow areas about seven miles offshore of Neptune Beach, and pump materials through a pipe onto the beach where bulldozer operators will till it. Construction completion is set for early November 2016, barring any unforeseen delays.
• The beach will remain open to residents and visitors outside the work areas. The contractor expects to temporarily close at least 1,200 feet of the beach at a time during the renourishment project. GLD&D will provide access over the dredging pipes about every 300 feet. Each day the work should proceed about 500 to 1,000 feet – or one to two city blocks. Construction activity will occur daily once the project starts and continue around the clock, weather and mechanics permitting.
• The Corps asks the public to have patience with the temporary construction noise and use caution in the area. Pipeline discharge and bulldozers will operate 24 hours and the bulldozer back-up alarms cannot be turned off. The alarms are a safety device required by federal law to protect people from getting hit by machinery when the driver is unable to see directly behind the equipment. The construction noise is a temporary situation, which is also dependent on wind direction and other weather conditions that affect the way sound is carried.
Authority: Section 103 of Public Law 89‐298, Oct. 27, 1965, authorizes the entire SPP.
Authorized: 1965
First Constructed: 1980
Expires: 2028
Cost share: 61.6% federal and 38.4% non-federal