Broken motor snarls beach project

A $4.5 million emergency beach project that will bring 133,000 cubic yards of sand to the north end next year started this week and stopped before hardly any sand was brought onshore.

One of the generator motors onboard the dredge that pumps sand ashore blew out yesterday and needs repaired.

Cashman Dredging beach project manager Christopher Bonn told the Longboat Observer the part for the generator most likely willarrive by Monday. Sand should be coming ashore again by Tuesday.

Before the latest issue, the project was delayed four times because of permitting issues involved with the dredge that came from the Northeast.

Town staff worked to receive a permit from the state last year that allows the town to rebuild the entire beach profile or a 200-feet wide beach that used to exist there that has been swept away from Broadway to north of North Shore Road.

A small portion of the sand being brought on shore will be placed just south of Broadway, and the project will work its way north. The sand needs to be placed south of Broadway first because the sand will migrate north because of the currents in that area and help to fill in the beach north of Broadway.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].