By Jane Musgrave
Beaches from Linton Boulevard in Delray Beach to just south of the Boynton Inlet in Ocean Ridge will be transformed into construction zones this winter as crews work to replace millions of tons of sand that were washed away in 2022 by Hurricane Nicole.
Beach renourishment crews are to arrive in Delray Beach in December to begin pumping 1.3 million cubic yards of sand on a 2.5-mile stretch between George Bush and Linton boulevards, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Roughly a month later, work will begin in Ocean Ridge. Plans call for 500,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed on a mile of beach from roughly south of Ocean Avenue to Ocean Inlet Park, said a corps spokesperson.
When completed in late April, the beach in Delray Beach will be about 250 feet wider; it will be expanded by about 150 feet in Ocean Ridge.
The estimated $19.1 million project in Delray Beach marks the first time in 12 years that the city’s entire beachfront has been renourished, said Cynthia Buisson, the city’s assistant public works director.
That is something of a record, she said. Historically, the city has been forced to replenish the sand every eight years to protect beachfront property and marine habitat and give beach lovers a place to soak up the sun.
While Buisson credited the city’s efforts to maintain its dunes for the beach’s unexpected longevity, she acknowledged that luck was involved. “The storms haven’t been as bad,” she said.
Hurricane Nicole, which made landfall as a Category 1 storm south of Vero Beach on Nov. 10, 2022, wasn’t particularly memorable for South Florida residents. But its strong on-shore winds produced a storm surge that battered beaches from Miami to Jacksonville, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Originally, the beaches in Delray Beach and Ocean Ridge were to be renourished at the same time. The project in Ocean Ridge was delayed because most of its beachfront is privately owned and releases had to be obtained from property owners.
Bids for the Delray Beach stretch were received in early September and a contract will be awarded by Oct. 6, the corps spokesperson said. The contract for the Ocean Ridge project won’t be awarded until December.
While the corps declined to give a cost estimate, when the same Ocean Ridge stretch was replenished in 2020, it cost about $5 million.
Both projects are being funded with a mix of federal, state, Palm Beach County and municipal sources. Sand will be pumped onto the beaches from an off-shore sandbar.
With the 2026 sea turtle nesting season looming, crews will have to work quickly. While the original plan called for a 210-day project, the work will have to be finished by April 30 before the height of the roughly eight-month nesting season, the corps spokesperson said.
The season runs generally from March through October, but turtles are known to appear as early as February. Buisson said the city’s sea turtle monitor will check the beaches daily and relocate any nests that are in harm’s way.
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