VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla.,None — It's a project that could save lives in a place where two lives were just lost this week. Extending the jetty at Ponce Inlet, making the channel safer for boats, has been talked about for years.
It's all about how much it costs to add some rocks. The idea is to get the Jetty to the south as long as the one on the north side.
The $18 million cost though has stopped it from getting done. That may sound like a lot of money for rock, but one official told WFTV to think about how much you pay for a granite counter-top in your kitchen and this is 1,000 feet of that stone.
New estimates from the Army Corps of engineers cut the cost to lengthen the Ponce Inlet jetty down to $14.8 million. Engineers decided they could use more native limestone, an easier rock to get, and elected officials now believe the project could realistically start within a year.
"It's optimistic, but it's realistic. If we can get the construction started, that's why we've asked them to have the plans and specs in place," U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kozmas said.
The project is seen as necessary to keep the inlet open. Models show extending rocks 900 feet into the ocean would stop sand from drifting into navigation channels. Drifting sand has created narrow channels and fast currents in a place crowded with boats. It's where two ran into each other Monday, killing a father and daughter from DeLand.
"The Coast Guard uses it every day. Our recreational and commercial fishermen uses that inlet every day," Kozmos said.
At a meeting about the project Friday, though, some questioned the spending since the jetty didn't work when it was originally built.
"We just feel like they've been tinkering with this inlet and stabilization for 40 years and this is just the latest try," said Mike Martin, Association of Surfing Professionals.
Surfers have become some of the loudest opponents. The jetty created a wave that's one of the most consistent in the country and no one is certain what the jetty extension will do to the break. Some models actually show waves will get bigger in the surf zone.
Money is still the biggest stumbling block. It all has to be in place before the project can start.
WFTV
