The north jetty at Sebastian Inlet State Park, a famous fishing spot at the north end of the barrier island that draws anglers from far and wide, has reopened a month early, just in time for the 4th of July.

On Monday, anglers and other nature lovers walked along the north jetty for the first time since last November, following a $1.4-million revetment repair job that rebuilt the concrete and steel approach to the pier that extends out into the ocean.

The section of seawall and walkway that was replaced was an accretion of materials that started as a low coquina seawall more than 100 years ago.

“The district was granted a permit on Aug. 31, 1920, to dig the inlet,” says Inlet District public information officer and social media manager Ed Garland.

“We have photos showing barges carrying coquina for small jetties during the period of 1920-1924. There were also major improvements throughout the 1950s. A complete overhaul of the north jetty took place between 1968-1970 by the Cleary brothers.”

New materials were piled up on top of old ones, creating a hodge-podge structure of rock, concrete and rusty steel that began to fail in recent years as limestone rocks and boulders that protected it wore or washed away due to wave action and sand movement during hurricanes and other big storms.

“We had to do emergency repairs two years ago, after Ian and Nicole,” said Garland. “They were temporary fixes with concrete and sandbags meant to last until this project could start.”

The elevated concrete walkway leading to the jetty was still intact, with fishermen walking back and forth in early November, but the archaic foundation its piers rested on was worn out,

Project contractor Shoreline Foundation, Inc. completed the renovation a month ahead of schedule, “so we decided to open on Monday before the July 4th holiday weekend,” Garland said.

After demolishing the damaged section and installing steel sheet pile, contractors created a base of sand and gabion stone and replaced the coquina with four-foot-diameter granite boulders quarried in Georgia. Then, contractors poured a new cap and sidewalk and installed the aluminum railing, which they were able to reclaim from the old walkway, Garland said.

All that is left is to remount the webcam that provides live images of the inlet and surrounding area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anglers and other boaters have come to rely on the webcam to give them an idea of how rough the waters are before heading out for the day, Garland said. The camera is expected to be remounted in about a month, he said.

Phase 2 of the project, which will cost $2.5 million in total, will include improvements to the area immediately west of the jetty, and phase 3 will provide improvements to the south jetty.

The project is being paid for by property taxes collected from residents of the Sebastian Inlet District, an independent special district created by the State of Florida in 1919 to maintain the navigational channel connecting the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean.