City of Rockingham to deliver temporary Mersey Point granite seawall

A temporary seawall to protect vulnerable Shoalwater coastline will be built over the next two months in a bid to protect nearby homes from erosion and coastal inundation during severe weather as winter rolls around.

The City of Rockingham will throughout the month work on about 60m of coastline east of the existing Mersey Point granite seawall — officially finished in May last year — to reinforce the stretch of coast with a 3m high temporary granite seawall.

Builder WA Limestone will deliver the temporary seawall, which will help protect the footpath that runs adjacent to the beach, Arcadia Drive Road Reserve, as well as nearby homes from the threat of erosion and coastal inundation during severe weather events.

Footpaths in the area will be closed during the works and there will be short-term road closures along Arcadia Drive between Mersey Road and Carlisle Street.

Traffic management measures will be implemented during these closures.

Rockingham mayor Deb Hamblin said it was important the city delivers this project now before the worst of the winter weather arrives.

“The Mersey Point area is one of the most dynamic coastal environments in our community and the city has closely monitored the impact of erosion in the area for more than a decade,” Ms Hamblin said.

While the city delivered the Mersey Point granite seawall just last year, Ms Hamblin said storms in August highlighted the city would need to continue working to preserve the vulnerable coastline.

“Due to the weather in winter and high public use of the area in summer, the city has a limited window to deliver these works,” she said.

“By proactively taking action now, the city is attempting to mitigate the risks and avoid the cost of carrying out reactive emergency repairs later in the year.”

The city confirmed there had been no damage to the new seawall.

Residents can expect work to be carried out from 6am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, and 7am to 2pm on Saturdays and is expected to be completed in May 2023.

For more information on the project, visit rockingham.wa.gov.au/planning-and-building/current-projects-and-works/mersey-point-granite-seawall-construction.