VILANO BEACH, Fla. – If you’ve been to Vilano Beach recently, chances are you’ve noticed some construction going on.
The restoration project for a 2.6 mile stretch of beach in St. Johns County was approved in July. It’s roughly 50% complete.
About 1.3 million cubic yards of sand is being used in the restoration project.
How much is that? Enough to fill Spaceship Earth (a.k.a the big Epcot ball) 14 times with sand!
The project with the Army Corps of Engineers started a mile north of the inlet and will go all the way up to the Serenata Beach Club in South Ponte Vedra Beach.
“Majority of the beaches you see in Florida are man-made. We go every so many years and put sand on those beaches for people to put towels and beach chairs," explained Jason Harrah, the project manager. “They’re moving about five-hundred feet to about 15-hundred feet a day.”
In addition to expanding the beach, a dune measuring 15-feet is being built to add an extra layer of protection.
Harrah said it’s estimated the project will be completed in early December. It’s a time frame heavily dependent on weather and surf conditions.
“Our normal cycle we anticipate based on erosion is about every 10 to 12 years to have to come back," explained Harrah.
Once the project is complete, grass will be added to the dunes during the spring growing season to solidify them. It’s important to stay off the dunes at all times.