Posted on November 29, 2018
Sand removed during a routine dredging project in Little Sabine Bay will be used to renourish and widen a large swath of Quietwater Beach.
Pensacola Beach leaders recently approved the plan, which will keep the popular inlet at the foot of the Bob Sikes Bridge open to boat traffic while benefiting the busy beach area behind the Boardwalk Shopping Center.
Project engineer Jeff Huggins of Baskerville-Donovan Inc. said the work should be finished before the busy spring tourism season. Huggins said contractors are awaiting final approval and permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before starting dredging in Little Sabine channel.
Paolo Ghio, director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority, said at a recent meeting of the authority that the sand from the dredging would be placed along eroded areas of Quietwater Beach. The beach, which fronts Santa Rosa Sound, is also known as “Moms Beach” because its normally calm surf makes it a popular location to bring small children.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has approved the dredging project. According to engineering reports, the Corps of Engineers still must approve a sea grass study before work can begin.
The dredging and renourishment projects are among several beach construction projects scheduled for completion during the winter season. Work is also underway on various projects to expand beach parking.
The approximately $1 million parking work includes a new parking lot behind the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office substation at Casino Beach and demolition of the former visitor information center near the beach entrance.
The Casino Beach project involves building a lot on top of a retention pond and converting the pond into an underground drainage system.
Source: pnj
