The Canaveral Harbor and Canaveral Sand Bypass projects will receive priority funding in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2018 Workplan. The Corps has allocated $14,760,000 to the Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass project and $1,470,000 will be provided for maintenance of the Port’s harbor and the Canaveral Locks.
U.S. Congressman Bill Posey (FL-08) worked with the Army Corps throughout their budget planning process to ensure critical Port Canaveral and Brevard County beach projects were included in the agency’s workplan.
“The Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass is important to our local economy, our space program and our national security. Timely completion of the sand bypass will help safeguard our local maritime commerce by ensuring that ocean vessels can continue to navigate through Canaveral Harbor,” said Congressman Bill Posey.
“Port Canaveral is a critical economic asset for Central Florida. Ensuring access to our waterways and safe transit of cruise and cargo vessels are vital to this region’s economy,” said Capt. John Murray, Port CEO. “We have a long-standing partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and are grateful to Congressman Posey for his efforts to ensure projects that are important to our operations received priority funding.”
The Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass and jetty improvement project was designed to prevent infill of the federal Port channel through the jetties (jetty tightening component) and migration of sand around the tip of the north jetty (bypass component). The bypass project was deemed critically important for Port navigation.
A 2002 U.S. Court of Federal Claims agreement mandates the Corps must schedule the bypass project approximately every six years. The bypass project has not been funded by the Corps since 2009. Subsequent shoaling caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017 now requires expedited additional work for the Sand Bypass at an estimated additional cost of $4 million. The Corps is completing a separate construction workplan to address this additional channel shoaling using funds awarded by Congress to the Army Corps in the Disaster Supplemental budget which passed in December 2017.
The Brevard County Mid Reach beach re-nourishment project was also included in the Corps’ FY 18 workplan. The project will receive $28.375M to be cost shared with the County.
Last December, Port Canaveral hosted a meeting at the Port to outline the Army Corps of Engineers’ plans to re-nourish Brevard County beaches as part of the Brevard County Shore Protection Project. The pre-construction meeting was organized by the Corps as the lead coordinator to provide details of the multi-million-dollar project. The conference was attended by more than 30 representatives of local, state and federal agencies, environmental organizations and contractors.
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