The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, awarded a construction contract for Kissimmee River Restoration (KRR) Project Navigational Warning Signage, located in Okeechobee and Highlands Counties, Florida. The non-Federal sponsor for the Kissimmee River Restoration Project is the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).

USACE awarded the contract for $2,645,604.74 to Eagle Engineering & Land Development, Inc., Naples, Florida, on September 28, 2023.

As one of the final projects of the Kissimmee River Restoration (KRR) Project for Construction Phases II and III, the Navigational Warning Project consists of installing signage and warning safety features along restored sections of the Kissimmee River to reintroduce boaters to the Kissimmee River channel flow. Warning safety features along the Kissimmee River will include navigational warning signs for areas of the river channel with no entry, shallow drafts, or riprap obstructions. These navigational warning signs will be mounted on 12-inch diameter piles driven 10 to 20 feet below ground surface depending on the ground resistance during pile driving.

Riprap used to stabilize the slopes of the backfilled areas during the Kissimmee River Restoration construction may become fully submerged during the rainy season when the floodplain fills and become a hazard to boaters.

Navigational Warning Signage will be located in those areas. “Keep Off Structure” and “No Boating Beyond This Point” signs will be placed adjacent to the S-69 weir area.

Currently, there are temporary warning signs at the boat ramps depicting submerged rocks in the Kissimmee River, which were part of the restoration effort in Phases I and III of the lower Kissimmee River Basin.

Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2024, with construction scheduled for completion in fall 2024.