The Duval County Shore Protection Project was recognized yesterday by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) as one of the nation’s best restored beaches for 2019.
Actually, the project includes four county beaches that were recognized: Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville beaches, and Hannah Park, reported the Corps.
“ The Duval County Shore Protection Project was critical to helping our beaches recover from hurricanes Matthew and Irma. I am grateful for the collaborative efforts from the City, beaches communities and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ,” said Mayor Lenny Curry .
The $15.7 million Duval County Shore Protection construction contract was awarded to Manson Construction of Seattle, Washington.
In total, the contractor placed roughly 850,000 cubic yards of sand on about 8 miles of eroded beaches, including Jacksonville, Neptune and Atlantic beaches and the southern mile of Hanna Park.
“ The team’s emergency preparedness and response restored the beach to pre-storm conditions in record time ,” Corps Project Manager Jason Harrah said.
This reduced the impacts resulting from Hurricane Irma, which caused a loss of roughly 660,000 cubic yards of sand less than a year later in September 2017.
“ The Corps of Engineers was able to take advantage of existing beach construction contracts to cost-effectively repair the beaches after Hurricane Matthew, and again following Irma ,” Jason Harrah added.
The goal of engineered shore protection projects is to reduce risk and promote resilience in coastal communities. These federal shore projects help to reduce the damages – economic, environmental, infrastructure, human health and safety – of tropical storms and hurricanes.