Millions Approved To Rebuild Beach Dunes Damaged By Matthew

JACKSONVILLE (CBSMiami/AP) — Help is on the way for Jacksonville Beach's sand dunes heavily damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Matthew.

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved spending $7.5 million to rebuild dunes from central Jacksonville Beach to north Atlantic Beach. Officials hope to begin work within 10 to 12 days.

City Councilman Bill Gulliford, who introduced the emergency legislation, said it's critical to begin the project as soon as possible.

Out of the $7.5 million in funding, $6.5 million will go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pay for the restoration.

The corps will meet with the contractor currently pumping sand onto area beaches and work to negotiate a new contract to add dune restoration to their work.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)