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Project to start next week adding sand to beach in northwest Sanibel severely eroded by hurricanes

WGCU | By WGCU Staff
Published August 17, 2023 at 1:57 PM EDT
A project to add sand to an area in northwest Sanibel, around th Blind Pass beach area, will start soon.
NOAA
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WGCU
A project to add sand to an area in northwest Sanibel, around th Blind Pass beach area, will start soon.

Trucks will begin hauling sand to northwest Sanibel on Monday to replace sand lost to erosion due to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole last year.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted in January to accept grant funds of $5 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for Hurricane Ian and Nicole Emergency Recovery to place sand on Lee County beaches.

The sand on Sanibel will reinforce the shoreline south of Blind Pass and reduce the vulnerability of Sanibel Captiva Road, which serves as an evacuation route.

Engineering estimates from the City of Sanibel determined that the site needs about 70,000 tons of sand.

About 25 trucks will deliver sand each day, which means fewer trucks on the road compared with other recent sand-hauling operations in Southwest Florida. Sand will be obtained from the Stewart mine in Immokalee. The sand is approved as beach compatible by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The trucking route will be from Immokalee to Sanibel, avoiding Corkscrew Road between Alico Road and Interstate 75.

The work is expected to be complete in about 90 days. Public access at Blind Pass Beach Park and Turner Beach Park will remain open. Work hours will be dawn to dusk on weekdays. The city and county ask that motorists and beach goers be aware and abide by all signs and instructions provided by traffic control personnel in the area.

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