Butler Beach Reach access ramps to close for Dune Enhancement Project

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — As part of the FEMA Dune Enhancement Project, St. Johns County will temporarily close vehicle beach access ramps to Butler Beach Reach. This includes the shoreline from Ocean Hammock Park through Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort and an additional 1,500-foot section from Mary Street in the southbound direction.

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According to St. Johns County, the temporary closure is due to the presence of heavy machinery on the beach which might impact public safety.

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The Ocean Trace Road vehicle beach access ramp is expected to close on Thur., Jul. 6. The A Street vehicle beach ramp will close on Mon., Jul. 10.

As a detour for access to the beach, all vehicle traffic will be able to enter and exit at the Dondaville Road access ramp.

Watch: FEMA beach dune enhancement project to begin

St. Johns County Emergency Management Director Joseph Giammanco said that the FEMA Dune Enhancement Project is critical to protecting the coastline.

“The Butler Beach Reach portion is one of four beach restoration efforts as part of the FEMA Dune Enhancement Project due to the impacts of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole,” Giammanco said. “The other three efforts include Ponte Vedra Beach, South Ponte Vedra Beach, and Crescent Beach.

Read: St. Johns turns to FEMA funding for beach re-nourishment after Ian

Giammanco also said that the project work will be performed in separate phases. This is to allow public access to the beaches while work is being performed.

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Phillips & Jordan, Inc. was selected by St. Johns County to complete the project. The bid price is not to exceed $4,173,498 with an additional $700,000 for project delivery costs. The county will also receive a FEMA grant reimbursement of $3,655,124 and a State of Florida Department of Emergency Management grant reimbursement of $609,187 after the projects are completed.

For updates on this project, visit sjcfl.us/CoastalProjects/ or contact the Coastal Management team at 904-209-0260, or coastalprojects@sjcfl.us. The public can also follow St. Johns County Beach Services on Facebook or Twitter (@SJCBeaches) or download the free Reach the Beach mobile app at m.appbuild.io/stjohnsc6.