The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will allocate an additional $1.5 million for the planning, engineering and design of a federal sand project expected to beef up beaches in Encinitas and Solana Beach for the next 50 years, Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, announced Friday, Jan. 22. The Encinitas-Solana Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project was authorized in 2016 to stabilize the eroding bluffs against high-energy storm swells and rising sea levels. Completion of the three-year pre-construction phase is expected to cost a total of about $3 million, including $75,000 each from the two cities involved. Most of the expense is covered by state and federal grants now in hand.