Beachgoers on Lido Key could lose access to portions of the shoreline for up to 60 days beginning on or shortly after Tuesday, Sept. 8, as the City of Sarasota plans to build a dune along 1.2 miles of the island's southern coast.

The project will place sand atop the existing 4-foot berm to create a dune with a crest elevation of 6.6 feet above sea level, matching the 25-year storm-surge elevation. Workers will use roughly 3,000 cubic yards of sand that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged from New Pass and stockpiled on the beach near reference monument R-41.

Sand placement alone should take three to four weeks, according to the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations CCNACCNA, which published the project details Monday, Aug. 24. The full scope, including planting native vegetation along the restored dune and installing posts, rope and signage at beach access points, is expected to take about 60 days.

Some sections of beach will be closed during construction, though access points will remain open elsewhere along the stretch between state reference monuments R-37 and R-44.

Crews plan to begin work at the northern end of the project area first. Turtle nests near the southern end dictate that sequencing, and the city has included turtle monitoring as part of the project.

The dune restoration follows the larger Lido Beach renourishment, which the city announced was complete May 19. That effort, also a partnership with the Army Corps, restored 1.2 miles of shoreline using more than 300,000 cubic yards of sand. At a May 26 ribbon-cutting ceremony with U.S. Rep. Greg Steube and Maj. Cory Bell, the City of Sarasota said a dune rehabilitation project would follow in fall 2026 to add erosion and storm protection beyond what the renourishment alone provides.

The city has not publicly identified the contractor or released a project budget. The CCNA notice states work is "planned to start on or shortly after" Sept. 8, leaving room for a brief delay. No public comment period has been announced for the project; residents with questions can contact the City of Sarasota public works department.