"Access to the beach from 8th Avenue North will be closed until summer 2026." That line is still posted on the Naples Beach Improvements project site, along with the same promise for 3rd Avenue North. It's mid-October now, and summer is over. The City of Naples beach access status page still lists both of those beach ends as closed, plus four more nearby.
The project behind the closures has two pump stations, and the city's own newsletters show that since spring they've moved onto two different schedules. Neither newsletter gives a reopening date for any beach end. If your walk to the Gulf starts anywhere between Central Avenue and 8th Avenue North, the station schedules are the closest thing the city has published to a timeline.
Six Closed, Three Rebuilt Ones in Between
Walking south on Gulf Shore Boulevard North from Lowdermilk Park, here is how the city's status page lists each beach end:
- Lowdermilk Park: open
- 8th Ave N: closed, Stormwater Beach Outfall Project
- 7th Ave N: open, construction complete
- North Lake Drive: open, construction complete
- 6th Ave N: open, construction complete
- 4th Ave N: closed, Stormwater Beach Outfall Project
- 3rd Ave N: closed, Stormwater Beach Outfall Project
- 2nd Ave N: closed, Stormwater Beach Outfall Project
- 1st Ave N: closed, Stormwater Beach Outfall Project
- Central Avenue: closed, Stormwater Beach Outfall Project
- 1st Ave S: open, construction complete
The open beach ends in that stretch are freshly finished. 7th Ave N, North Lake Drive and 6th Ave N are all marked "Construction Complete" under the city's separate Beach Access Restoration Project. That project is rebuilding 30 of the city's 40 beach access points with less pavement and what the city calls a more natural, "Old Florida" look. Some beach ends will end up with fewer benches than before, and others will get benches for the first time. So the stretch north of Central Avenue now has brand-new beach ends sitting right next to closed ones.
Farther south, 12th Ave S stays closed for a different reason, the Naples Pier rebuild.
What the Closures Are For
The project site says the Stormwater Beach Outfall Project is removing all eight city stormwater outfall pipes on Naples beaches that discharge into the Gulf. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection directed the removal. Work runs along Gulf Shore Boulevard from Oleander Drive to just south of 2nd Avenue South. The project costs $86 million, and the State of Florida is covering $40 million through legislative appropriations.
The construction contract went to Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. in June 2024 for $86,224,216, Gulfshore Business reported, and Graef USA is the design consultant. The new system replaces the beach pipes with two pump stations, one at 8th Avenue North and one at 3rd Avenue North. They push stormwater offshore through an underwater outfall in the Gulf.
The city's project background page says the old outfall pipes raised concerns about beach erosion and about walking along the beach past them. Removing those pipes is part of what the closures are for.
The project site also says pedestrians and bicyclists aren't allowed in the active construction zone, and that weekday work runs from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with some night and weekend work.
Two Pump Stations, Two Clocks
The city has published two progress updates since spring. Between May and August, the North Pump Station's finish moved from September 2026 to early 2027.
| Milestone | May 2026 city update | August 2026 city update |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Ave N / South Pump Station | Operational by August 2026, "three months ahead of schedule" | Startup and testing planned for September to October 2026 |
| 8th Ave N / North Pump Station | "On track to be finished by September 2026" | About 75 percent complete, work continuing into early 2027 |
| Offshore outfall pipe | Two pipes installed by directional drilling, in testing | All 3,200 feet of 36-inch pipe installed and tested |
| Roadway, drainage, watermain from 1st Ave N to 2nd Ave S | Starting August 2026, wrapping up by year's end | Construction moved south toward 2nd Ave S, on track for year's end |
| Overall completion | Estimated May 2027 | Estimated May 2027 "or potentially sooner" |
Sources for the table: the May 2026 update and the August 2026 update.
In May, the two stations were a month apart. By August they were months apart. 3rd Avenue North is the southern of the two station sites, so it lines up with the South Pump Station. The August update also says crews were finishing the diffuser at the North Pump Station first before moving south, and that the order "supports the planned startup and testing of the South Pump Station."
The overall project is still ahead of plan. The August update says crews had installed 6,600 of the 9,600 linear feet of storm drainage pipe, 4,300 of the 6,100 feet of watermain, and 73 of the 113 inlet and manhole structures. The Naples Daily News reported on Aug. 11, 2026 that, according to the city, all four major construction pieces were more than 60 percent complete. The Naples Press reported that the contract deadline is June 4, 2027.
Those figures measure the project against its contract, not against the summer 2026 beach-end notice. The city's August CityConnect newsletter linked the reopenings to the underground work in one line:
"So once the 8th Ave N and 3rd Ave N beach ends reopen, you'll know exactly what's beneath your sandals!"
The newsletter gives no date. The project site still says "summer 2026." The status page still says closed, and it doesn't give a reopening date for any of the six. What the city has published is the station schedules. The South Pump Station's startup was planned for September and October, and the North Pump Station at 8th Avenue North has work scheduled into early 2027.
Where a Beach Walk Starts Now
For anyone with a city beach parking permit, the gap is small. 7th Ave N, North Lake Drive and 6th Ave N are open between 8th and 4th Ave N, and 1st Ave S and 2nd Ave S are open just south of it. The city classifies all of these, plus the Broad Ave S beach end, as permit-only, and nonresidents can't park there. 6th Ave N, 7th Ave N, 2nd Ave S and Broad Ave S all have freshwater showers. Broad Ave S is marked open with restrooms available.
Guests and visiting family without a permit have fewer options. The nearest visitor-metered spots are at Lowdermilk Park and at the Broad Avenue South 100 and 200 blocks. The city's beach parking page lists meter rates at $5.00 an hour with a $2.50 minimum. Pay stations take quarters and major credit cards.
With the 8th Avenue North end closed, Lowdermilk Park is the closest full-service stop to the northern part of the project. It has a children's playground, sand volleyball courts, picnic tables and benches, restrooms and showers, ADA beach-access mats, and two gazebos you can rent. Flip Flop Beach Grill on the beach sells food and drinks and rents beach wheelchairs and other gear.
City residents can get a free annual permit by bringing a driver's license and the original vehicle registration, both showing the same name and an address in the city. Collier County property taxpayers and full-time residents also qualify. City permits work at both City and County beaches for one year and can't be transferred. Non-city property owners applying for a City permit need an official Collier County tax statement showing an in-city address, along with a license and registration or rental agreement, and there are separate document rules for property owned by a corporation. Those rules come from the city's beach parking permit page. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the current requirements with the City of Naples before you apply.
The Next Checkpoints
Three dates from the city's own documents are coming up. The South Pump Station's startup and testing window, September through October, closes this month. The roadway, drainage and watermain work toward 2nd Avenue South is targeted for the end of 2026. Remaining work at the North Pump Station is scheduled into early 2027, and the whole project is estimated to finish in May 2027.
The city says the status page "will be updated regularly with schedule changes and progress updates." That table, which lists each beach end's status, is a better guide than the "summer 2026" line on the project site, and it's the one to check before you walk down 3rd Avenue North with a beach chair.
At The Sprigg Group, we keep track of the local details that shape a day on the water, including which access points are open, where guests can park, and what's changing along the waterfront. If you'd like a home with easy access to the beach, the dock or both, we'd be glad to help. Create Your Paradise: Start Your Waterfront Search.
