St. Pete-Clearwater Sun

A $12 million dredging project is simultaneously restoring Lido Beach and improving navigation safety in the New Pass Channel, with work expected to wrap up within the next few weeks.

Workers are dredging sand from sandbars in the New Pass Channel and pumping it onto Lido Beach, adding more than 300,000 cubic yards of sand to a stretch of shoreline that eroded significantly during the 2024 hurricane season.

The dual-purpose project addresses two longstanding problems at once. In addition to restoring more than a mile of beach, the dredging is deepening and widening the channel to make it safer for boaters. The channel has long been considered treacherous for sailors navigating near Longboat Key, with shifting sandbars and unpredictable water depths blamed for groundings and lost vessels over the years.

Sage Kamiya, the City of Sarasota’s engineer overseeing the project, said the restored beach will serve as a protective buffer for residents and city infrastructure.

One complication is the fix’s temporary nature. A single storm could push sand back into the channel, and GPS depth data can quickly become outdated after severe weather. To address that, the city has an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to continue maintaining and managing both the channel and the beach, with a similar project anticipated in roughly 5 years.

Kamiya said the project is two to three weeks from completion, though weather or equipment delays could affect the timeline. The city’s goal is to finish before shorebird and sea turtle nesting season begins.

In the meantime, the City of Sarasota is advising beachgoers to stay off the large black pipe running across the sand and to use designated pedestrian crossing areas to reach the water.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X

St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater news at PIE-Sun.com