Renourishment pushes south

The view south from 26th Street in Bradenton Beach shows a pipe delivering sand Aug. 20 to renourishment equipment near 23rd Street. The pipe is part of a $17 million project to restore eroded beaches. Beach renourishment is expected to run through October and will end at Longboat Pass. Islander Photos: ChrisAnn Allen

An extractor pours fresh sand Aug. 20 onto the beach near 23rd Street in Bradenton Beach as two bulldozers level the escarpment. The construction is part of a $17 million renourishment project piping sand from offshore to replenish the beach.

Two bulldozers work in concert Aug. 20 to smooth fresh sand pumped onshore from a barge over a seabed about a quarter-mile offshore.

A waterfall of sand flows Aug. 20 through an extractor filtering rocks and shell from material pumped from offshore onto Anna Maria Island beaches. About 20,000-30,000 cubic yards of sand passes through the equipment each day.

A bulldozer crests an escarpment Aug. 20, while a worker uses a GPS device to measure the depth of sand pumped ashore from a barge over offshore borrow areas as part of a $17 million project to restore Anna Maria Island beaches.