SWAMPSCOTT — King’s Beach was ringing with the sound of construction Wednesday, as a crew of about 10 workers used shovels, jackhammers and a Bobcat to repair the seawall along the Lynn border.
The project, which began last Monday, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31. The estimated cost of the project is about $525,000, making it one of Swampscott’s larger public works projects of the year.
“It’s a good-sized project,” said Swampscott Public Works Director Gino Cresta. “Comparable to some of the paving projects. But not quite as high as our sewer main rehab work.”
The town has contracted the dramatically-named masonry company Xtreme Shotcrete LLC to complete the project. Xtreme Shotcrete LLC made the lowest offer when the project was opened for bidding on Sept. 2.
The project intends to fix the years of natural damage to the wall, specifically focused on issues caused by a large 2018 nor’easter.
“We had some pretty significant damage from that,” said Cresta. “Some holes in the wall were as deep as 12 inches.”
Workers will repair the holes and resurface the wall.
The project is not coordinated with Lynn, and will not affect any sections of the seawall located across the Lynn border.
Swampscott also finally broke ground on its Preston Beach Entrance Improvement project Wednesday, which was delayed due to complications of COVID-19 and a contractor dispute.
The project was initially slated to begin May 1 and finish by late June, but now is not expected to be finished until mid-way through this month.
Swampscott reached a settlement with its initial contractor, K.B. Aruda Construction, in late September, and the two parted ways.
The project was reopened for bidding on Oct. 22 and the town selected the low bidder, Rafael Construction, to finish the work. The total cost of the project is estimated to be around $30,000.
“By the middle of next week you’ll see a lot of progress there. If all goes well they could be wrapping up there by the end of next week,” said Cresta. “They’re going to bang that out pretty quick.”
Additionally, the town completed a section of sidewalk on Humphrey St., where it is planting four new trees. The project was completed by town employees for just under $2,000.
Cresta reported that, once these projects are completed, there aren’t any other significant public works projects planned.
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
