Posted on April 17, 2023
The sand dredge at the Boca Inlet was moved Sunday due to adverse weather conditions, but mobilization of the Regional Sand Nourishment project continued on the city’s south beach. Crews, heavy equipment, and pipes were on the beach which remains closed.
The long-awaited nourishment – a cooperative effort between the cities of Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach and Hillsboro Beach – was due to be completed by mid-month. The drop dead date, imposed by the state due to turtle egg laying season, is April 30.
Patrick Bardes, this city’s coastal coordinator, and Hillsboro Beach Town Manager Mac Serda say they are confident that date will be met.
This city began alerting beach goers weeks ago that the project was pending. Announcements on the city’s website showed images of the north beach which has remained open, but little mention was made initially of what beach conditions would be between Southeast 5 and Southeast 10 streets.
Some people were surprised to see the yellow tape warning: Danger. Several commented online that doing the project during spring break was bad for tourism.
Assuming Mother Nature cooperates, and the dredge returns to the Boca Inlet Thursday as Bardes expects, the work on south beach should be completed in another week. The pipeline will remain throughout the project with walkovers to the ocean.
The next segment of the nourishment will then start in Hillsboro Beach and there will be closures in those areas where the work is being done – where the sand is coming out of the pipe and bulldozers are placing the sand. That area will move every night, Serda said.
“Our plan is for the beach to stay open except for the construction area where sand is flowing out of the pipe from the dredge,” Serda added. It is expected the work on the town’s beach from Southeast 10 Street to the 1100 block of A1A will take about two weeks.
Easter Sunday traffic here was dense as people flocked to the beach. Adding to the sense of congestion were detour signs designating construction of a new bus stop, ADA sidewalk and additional parking spots, and the roped off stairs at the beach amphitheater.
Kris Mory, Community Redevelopment Agency director, the funding agency for those projects, said the amphitheater seating will be finished this week in time for the annual Surfers for Autism kickoff event. The bus stop, she said, is open. The remaining work being done is on Northeast 2 Terrace to comply with ADA regulations.
