There’s tons of new sand on St. Augustine Beach now that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished up a beach renourishment project that began earlier this year.

The Army Corps says the 2.5 million cubic yards worth of sand will protect the shoreline from damage and give beachgoers more space to spread out.

The federal government funded the $33 million project as part of a plan to bring 3 miles of St. Augustine Beach into a new condition the Army Corps says will better withstand storms.

“The equilibration process will begin immediately upon completion, with full adjustment typically requiring many months or multiple significant wave events to evolve,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement. “Once the beach has reached an equilibrium condition, the beach is expected to recede at a slower rate.”

While the renourishment project was still under way, some beachgoers were confused that the St. Johns County Ocean Pier didn’t reach the ocean anymore. The Army Corps said the pier’s exposure was only temporary, but part of the pier has since indefinitely closed while the county inspects damage to the pier’s supports.

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