Swimmers, surfers and seashell collectors in Central Beach will face a daunting obstacle course this month.

The northern part of Humiston Park and multiple beach access points will be closed periodically throughout March, during the height of the island’s busy winter season, while contractors rebuild dunes washed away during hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022.

The work is part of the county’s emergency repair of Beach Sector 5, which stretches from Mariner Village to the Riomar oceanfront, south of the Riomar Country Club.

Contractors are about 80 percent finished with the $6.5 million project, which will place 153,000 cubic yards of beach-compatible sand onto the 3.1-mile section of shoreline, said Quintin Bergman, Indian River County’s coastal resource manager.

Workers with Guettler Brothers Construction of Fort Pierce will be using the northern portion of Humiston Park to truck in sand from inland mines. The sand will be dumped near the dune line and then transferred to smaller dump trucks on the beach and transported to where bulldozers will spread it along the dune line – starting from south of Riomar Country Club and working their way north, Bergman said.

Parking will be constricted, too, with spaces in front of Humiston Park along Ocean Drive reserved during weekdays to stage dump trucks as they line up to enter the park, he said. The parking spaces will be open to the public on weekends.

During the project, beachgoers can expect periodic weekday closures of beach access points at Humiston Beach, Flamevine Lane, Gayfeather Lane and Riomar Beach, Bergman said. Beaches will be open on weekends, but beachgoers are asked to steer clear of construction equipment.

“While construction during the busy tourist season can be inconvenient, these projects must take place during the winter work window to avoid impacting peak sea turtle nesting,” Bergman said. “Completing the restoration now allows us to strengthen the shoreline’s resilience as we head into the summer months and hurricane season.”

Turtle nesting season officially starts on March 1, which usually closes down beach repair projects, but it is rare to see turtles come ashore so early in the spring. To be on the safe side, sea turtle biologists will conduct surveys of the beach before construction starts each day, identifying and putting protective barriers around any nests laid overnight, Berman said. If nests are found too close to the construction area, they will be closely monitored, day and night.

Sand placement is slated for completion by March 31, but could conclude sooner, depending on the weather, Bergman said.

After that, workers will finish planting approximately 117,500 native plants, including sea oats and bitter panic grass, to stabilize the dunes.

The project is being paid for by a combination of local tourist tax money and state and federal grants.

The main parking lot, between Humiston Park and Ocean Park condos and businesses will be open throughout the project, as will the park playground and restrooms.