Bulking up beaches in Boca

Work begins this week to shore up the shoreline; areas will be closed to the public.

After months of delays, Boca Raton soon will resume its nearly $11 million beach renourishment project to reclaim sand lost due to weather and erosion along the city’s coastline.

In some parts, the beach will be extended by 100 to 120 feet in width, giving the public more room to spread their beach chairs.

“You’ll have a much wider beach that we hope will last eight to 10 years,” Boca Raton’s Coastal Program Manager Jennifer Bistyga said.

Workers from New Jersey-based contractor Weeks Marine are scheduled 24/7 to complete the construction work, Bistyga said. It’ll take about 40 days to complete.

And while the dredging was set to begin Monday, the contractor has pushed back that start date for equipment repairs. As of Friday, the city had not yet set a new start date for construction.

Crews recently began hauling in equipment, including stacks of metal pipes that will dredge sand from two excavation areas about 2,500 feet offshore.

Nearly 450,000 cubic yards of sand will bolster an almost 1.45-mile stretch from Red Reef Park’s south end to the Boca Inlet.

Bistyga said crews will cover at least 500 feet of beach per day.

“They are not going to be in one spot too long,” Bistyga said. “Hopefully they’re going to be out of your area in a day.”

The city has gotten complaints in the past about noise from the construction equipment, Bistyga said.

But to Joanne Nielsen, who lives in the city for several months out of year, said the noise is worth it. She visits the beach at least twice per week with her husband. She said she visited a

spot near South Beach Pavilion two weeks ago on a windy day and the tide left little room on the beach for them to sit.

“It will be a big benefit,” Nielsen said of the extra sand.

The latest round of construction will pick up where the previous phase left off when operations halted in late April. Last year’s sand-addition work lasted just more than a month. Since then, the project has been riddled by delays, including a setback from Hurricane Matthew in the fall, and could see additional delays if the area gets rough weather. Still, Bistyga said she’s confident the project will wrap up before the city’s April 30 deadline.

CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Pipes are near the south beach pavilion in Boca Raton in advance of the nourishment project.