The FEMA Dune Enhancement Project is nearing completion, with one segment still under construction over this past week. The work was originally projected to finish in the spring, but delays related to a truck driver shortage have pushed the date back. The trucks have been used to transport sand from a site in Keystone Heights.
The contract for the project will expire at the end of October.
The $34 million project, designed to protect the shore from weather-related erosion, encompasses the nine-mile segment south of the Duval County line to the northern boundary of the Guana Reserve. Other portions of the project included a 1.7-mile segment in South Ponte Vedra Beach and a small stretch of Crescent Beach.
The county applied for assistance from FEMA after the beach was substantially damaged in hurricanes Matthew and Irma in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
This week, workers have been accessing the beach at 965 Ponte Vedra Blvd. The project from that point north to the Duval County line has been completed, as is the area south of Mickler’s Landing Beachfront Park. The remaining stretch of beach to be completed is between Mickler’s Landing and the 965 Ponte Vedra Blvd.
As a result, the county issued a public alert last week that heavy construction equipment would be on the beach. Traffic cones, beach patrol officers and flaggers have been on site to assist pedestrians in that area. Work there was expected to be complete by Wednesday, Sept. 21.
For further information about the project, go to coastalprojects@sjcfl.us.
