INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — Dune restoration efforts will begin soon on a stretch of Gulf shoreline in Indian Rocks Beach — and a heads up to drivers: Big delays are expected throughout the project.
Starting the week of Oct. 23, city leaders say the following two zones will be targeted by a contractor for Pinellas County to begin delivering sand to areas hardest hit by storm surge from Hurricane Idalia:
The areas under construction will be closed to the public, with the project taking about two months. It's during this time that people can expect hundreds of trucks each day carrying sand from a state-approved mine, the city said in a statement.
Property owners in the area who signed a temporary Pinellas County easement will get the sand.
Motorists in the area are warned: "Extensive" traffic delays are anticipated on Gulf Boulevard.
August's hurricane brought in a storm surge that decimated many of the dunes along Pinellas County's Gulf shoreline, some of which had been built up by at least a decade or more. The finished project should result in dunes at least 5-8 feet high, with vegetation planted on top.
People are asked to stay off the dunes once complete.