Bowing to appeals from hoteliers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday that it would delay portions of a major beach widening project that would have closed sections of South Beach during the peak of tourist season.

However, one phase of the $17.6 million project will begin in the middle of February when crews begin pumping about a quarter-million cubic yards of sand from borrow areas three miles offshore to a stretch from 63rd Street to 69th Street. That work is expected to last until April.

A second phase, the Corps’ Jacksonville district announced, was postponed until May. It will transfer about 107,000 cubic yards of sand from an area where a high volume collects between 10th and 18th streets to highly eroded spots between 27th and 44th streets. That work is expected to take until November.

Stretches of beach 500 feet long will be cordoned off from six to eight days at a time during the project. Trucks and heavy equipment will be working and the public is asked to avoid the areas.

The owners of several major South Beach hotels had appealed to Miami-Dade County and the Corps to put off the work at least until spring, worried it would disturb visitors and interfere with high-profile events such as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which is housed in large tents on the sand.