Visitors to Strand beach, residents and businesses in the vicinity will soon get to see the start of Phase 2 of construction work on the Strand seawall upgrade at the end of this month.
The first phase of the seawall was built between Da Gama Street and the Strand Pavilion in 2017.
Now, according to information by the City of Cape Town, the second phase of the project will start at the Strand Pavilion building and end at Greenways.
The new work on the seawall will also be divided into five smaller phases (each estimated to take five months). The construction forming part of Phase 2, says the City is estimated to be completed by November 2026.
In the second phase the appointed contractors will work on the seawall, making the promenade universally accessible, the infrastructure, and the public’s access points to the beach, with traffic calming measures along Beach Road also forming part of work during the second phase.
The City’s Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said: “We envisage minimal interruption to road traffic and plan to open as many road and pedestrian walkways as possible to further reduce the temporary impact. We assure the public that all affected residents and buildings will be provided with continuous access to their properties and will be notified of any changes if they occur. Pedestrians will also have a temporal corridor walkway during each phase, which will be roughly 200 metres.
“Once completed, the project will feature the same sleek look as with the Strand Seawall Phase one project.”
Ward Councillor Carl Punt for ward 83, welcomes the second phase of the seawall upgrade. He said: “There will be inconvenience during the construction of Phase 2, but the end result will add value to the Strand. As councillor I look forward to the start and completion of the construction process, especially if one looks back on Phase 1 and the positive effect it brought to Strand residents and businesses.
“The City invests millions into infrastructure and Phase 2 will have the same positive effect on the strand, both physical and economical.”
Strand resident for the past ten years, Spencer Halstead, who lives close to the beachfront said: “Yes, the upgrade is a good thing because if it saves the businesses and flats from getting flooded and prevents the sand from going into the road, as it used to be big problem, so I think it will benefit everyone.
On the inconvenience of the construction phases, he says he is willing to bear with it keeping in mind the outcome. “It will be better in the long run, especially with the flooding in Strand that’s now getting worse every year.”
Another Strand resident in the vicinity of the beachfront Sean Evert, said although the extension of the seawall will be beneficial, his concern is the impact of the stormy weather and the huge surges it brings. “ Look my only concern is the storms are getting bad, look at Gordon’s Bay for example, the wall must therefore be built higher than the one we currently have so that the wind cannot blow the sand in the road because in winter it becomes a problem for cars to drive there.”
“While the new seawall is a good thing, I would really like them to consider restoring the Jetty while they are doing work here it’s a monument in Strand and I want them to look into it,” he said.
The City says the public will still have access to the beach during the upgrade, but that areas of access will change as the project will progress. There will also be Stop and Go-regulation of traffic on affected areas.
