Mandurah residents, don’t worry: the large piles of sand in the eastern foreshore aren’t there to stay, nor represent how tall the new sea wall is going to be.
In the next few weeks, most of the sand will be removed from the site by the City of Mandurah operators to allow for the construction of the actual limestone wall.
The substantial sand mound was put in place in the beginning of the replacement project in June to speed up the settling time of the existing ground foundations for the wall, and was left to settle for eight weeks.
And, according to the council, would improve “the longevity of the foundations of the new seawall”.
In the upcoming weeks, after successful geotechnical testing, the sand excess will be removed leaving sand only where it is necessary in order to prevent water from entering the construction site.
Once all the sand is gone, works to excavate the foundation level and construction of the seawall footing will commence.
The new seawall will feature a curved design in two-levels emulating the shapes of the Waugal Serpent, and will extend into the estuary to allow for extra recreation space.
The design has been developed to protect the foreshore against storm surges, but would retain the existing connectivity to the water.
City of Mandurah chief Mark Newman said the completion of this phase marked another step forward in delivering the much-needed project to the community.
“It’s exciting to see the work progress through this critical phase and I must thank our community and businesses for their support during this project,” he said.
“We look forward to delivering this much-needed foreshore upgrade to our community, which will greatly enhance how our residents and visitors use this space.”
The works are scheduled to be completed by late 2016.
For more information on the work’s time-frame and wall design go to haveyoursaymandurah.com.au.