The emergency shore protection project south of Blind Pass, along Sanibel-Captiva Road, recently remained under review by the state but was close to completion, according to Sanibel officials.

Back in July, the city of Sanibel submitted a permit application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection related to the design work for the project. According to Natural Resources Director James Evans, it is reviewed as part of the Coastal Construction Control Line permit.

“Based on the update I received from our coastal engineer last week, the FDEP is wrapping up their regulatory review of our permit application for the San-Cap Road Protection Project,” he reported on Oct. 7 via an email.

“We should expect to hear something from them in the next couple weeks about when the permit will be issued,” Evans added.

He previously explained that the city hopes to have the permit sometime in the October-November timeframe, so work can begin as soon as sea turtle nesting season is over at the end of October.

“As soon as we receive the notice of intent to issue the permit from the FDEP, we will be submitting a funding request to the FDEP,” Evans said in the email.

He previously reported that the city had submitted an application in July for funds through the FDEP’s Florida Beach Management Funding Assistance Program, which accepts local funding requests for beach projects. The city applied for just over $300,000 in state assistance as part of a 50-50 cost-share.

The funding would cover the cost of the renourishment or fill placement and dune restoration, however it would not include the structure itself – revetment, sheet piling or riprap – to protect the roadway.

The city also intended to seek funds from the Lee County Tourist Development Council.

According to Evans, the city will wait to receive the FDEP’s notice of intent before it proceeds on calculating the final figure for the project and putting it out to bid as the agency may request changes.

He previously explained why the city is aiming for a fall-early winter finish date.

The beach accumulates sand in the summer and loses it in the winter because of the wind direction. If the project is finished before winter, sand can accumulate on top of the new sand the city deposits.

Earlier this year, the city had brought in Humiston & Moore Engineers to look at the area near Pine Avenue and Castaways Beach and Bay Cottages and come up with concepts to better protect the nearby road and properties from erosion. Later on at a city council meeting, the firm reported the following:

“Recent storms and cold fronts in 2018 and 2019 have resulted in increased sand loss and vulnerability,” the firm stated in documents. “It is the intent of the city to design improved protection along this section of roadway and extend the protection further north and south of the existing buried (rock) revetment to provide high frequency storm protection to the most vulnerable 400-foot section of the evacuation route for the island of Captiva and the north end of Sanibel.”

“The concept plan involves the addition of a larger armor stone layer along the existing buried revetment and installation of a steel sheet pile wall with a concrete cap upland of the revetment, along the edge of the right-of-way, for the approximate 400-foot section of vulnerable roadway,” it continued. “Additional rock will be included for toe-scour protection north and south of the existing revetment seaward of the new wall and tapering of the rock further landward.”