The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to seek bids for a maintenance dredging project at Pass-a-Grille Pass that would place approximately 150,000 cubic yards of sand on nearby Pass-a-Grille Beach, according to newly released federal contracting documents.
The Corps expects to advertise the project in November and award a contract in January. Construction would begin after a notice to proceed is issued.
The project calls for dredging approximately 150,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand from the federally maintained navigation channel and placing it on Pass-a-Grille Beach immediately north of the pass. According to Pinellas County, that is roughly the same amount of sand used during the county’s 2024 Pass-a-Grille Beach nourishment project.
“The objective is to clear the shoals from the federal navigation project and beneficially place the dredged material on Pass a Grille Beach,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Specialist John Paul Rebello said.
According to the Corps, Hurricanes Helene and Milton contributed to shoaling along Florida’s Gulf Coast in 2024, prompting the agency to include dredging projects at Pass-a-Grille Pass, Clearwater Pass and John’s Pass in its Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan.
The project is intended to restore the federal navigation channel to its authorized depth while placing the dredged sand on Pass-a-Grille Beach instead of transporting it to an offshore disposal site. The approach improves navigation while returning sand to the beach.
Historically, the Corps has dredged Pass-a-Grille Pass as a sand source for the adjacent Pinellas County Shore Protection Project. Rebello said the pass was not used during the county’s most recent nourishment project. Unlike previous dredging cycles, this work will be funded through the Corps’ navigation operation and maintenance program rather than a shoreline protection project.
The project is one of three navigation dredging efforts funded through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan following storm-related shoaling caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
According to Pinellas County, Pass-a-Grille Beach was first nourished in 1985 and has undergone two additional federally authorized nourishment projects since then.
While the added sand will provide some protection from erosion and wave action, the Corps said that is not the project’s primary purpose.
“The purpose of placement of dredged material from Pass-a-Grille Pass on the beach is for the purposes of beneficial use of dredged material,” Rebello said. “The purpose of this project is to provide safe and efficient navigation within Pass-a-Grille Pass.”
Construction is expected to take approximately 120 days after the selected contractor receives a notice to proceed.
Beachgoers and boaters can expect to see dredging equipment operating within the pass, along with barges and floating or submerged pipelines marked in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard standards. Heavy equipment will also be used to distribute sand across the beach.
According to the federal solicitation, the project also includes environmental monitoring, water quality monitoring, beach fill quality control, screening, vibration monitoring and beach tilling.
The Corps said all required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act will be completed before the project is advertised for bids.
Federal procurement documents estimate construction will cost between $5 million and $10 million, although the Corps said the final cost will not be known until bids are received.
The work will be completed under a Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit.
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