SWAMPSCOTT — The town is three-fifths of the way through a nearly $2.5 million update to the seawall along King’s Beach.
Department of Public Works Director Gino Cresta explained the necessity of the repairs, saying the seawall has deteriorated over the years due to saltwater. Additionally, a combination of rocks tossed by waves against the seawall and decades of water freezing and thawing in cracks have caused sheets of old concrete to crumble.
The town has been bidding out sections of the seawall incrementally, but the repair work keeps ending up in the hands of Winthrop-based Xtreme Shotcrete. Owner Michael Whitehead has been on the beach managing the seawall repairs.
Whitehead estimates that the current concrete on the seawall was first applied in the mid-20th century. The exposed seawall, estimated to be almost 100 years old, would crumble if it wasn’t sealed with new shotcrete, he said.
He added that repairing the seawall now also serves to prevent a situation where more urgent and expensive repairs would be required. The repairs, said Whitehead, not only make the seawall more durable but also make sure that the sidewalks and roads next to the seawall will not cave in.
“Some people think we are just putting a skim coat of cement on the wall, but what we’re doing is chipping it down, removing all the loose concrete, putting the rebar there, and then putting the concrete on.”
Whitehead and Cresta said the material being applied now is expected to last around 25 to 50 years.
Shotcrete, a pneumatically applied concrete, is used because it is stronger in a lesser quantity and is easier to apply to vertical and overhead surfaces, like seawalls and tunnels.
Depending on how quickly the town moves through the bidding process for each section of the wall and how quickly they can obtain supplies, the project could be completed either in a matter of weeks or could take until December. Cresta says he expects the project to be fully completed by next summer.
Emma Fringuelli can be reached at [email protected].
