FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — Work is underway to restore the beach just south of the Fort Pierce Jetty.
A St. Lucie County spokesman says the project is on schedule so far.
The work doesn’t stop at this ’round-the-clock, 24-hour-a-day beach renourishment project at Jetty Park.
They’re moving tons and tons of sand from a spot about two and a half miles offshore, and piling it on the beach to restore the sand washed away by Mother Nature.
“It would’ve been nice to know about it before we came down because we’re staying right across the street from the beach and we can’t use it,” said Kyle Kirby, a tourist from Michigan, who is vacationing with his wife, Hailey, and their 10-month-old son.
The beach renourishment project south of the Ft. Pierce Jetty is an inconvenience for their trip, but a much-needed one.
“It’ll be nice once it’s done,” Kirby said.
Others hope this beach renourishment project is more than just a quick fix.
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“Hopefully it’s gonna last a little bit longer than a year. Last year it didn’t last long but maybe it will. They brought in some (sand) last year and it washed away by October. So they had it from March ’til October,” said Cindy Savage, a snowbird from Georgia who spends the winter in Ft. Pierce.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hired a private contractor to do the $15.1 million beach renourishment project.
The work is taking place at City of Ft. Pierce Jetty Park. (CBS12 News)
The work involves taking 400,000 cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor two and a half miles offshore and spreading it out on the beach.
“This buffers this, gets the beach back so people can spread out and enjoy the beach, it’s so close to town. It’s just amazing. We’re just overwhelmed how nice it’s coming along. It’s gonna be beautiful,” said John Urbanek, a Ft. Pierce resident.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is paying for 78% of the project. St. Lucie County is paying the other 22% of the cost.
“This is amazing. It’s gonna be so nice here in just another couple of months I think,” Urbanek said.
A St. Lucie County government spokesman says they started pumping sand onto the beach on March 25. The completion date is expected to be sometime in mid-May.
The county spokesman says they’re basically on schedule. There were a couple of days where they had to stop work due to high waves for about a half-day. But he says they’ve gotten caught up.
With any luck, they won’t have to do another beach renourishment project here for about two years.