The St Francis Property Owners Association NPC (SRA) would like to advise the public to stay away from the Laura Road Construction Site. It is a working construction site, and the contractor and site manager have expressed concerns about public parking on the road, which sometimes hinders access for construction vehicles, as well as the dangers of members of the public walking onto the site.
The site features heavy machinery operating throughout the day, which poses a considerable risk to members of the public who inadvertently enter the construction site. So, please be advised to stay away from the Laura Road site as much as possible.
A perfect vantage point to witness the progress of the groyne construction is the expansive Anne Avenue car park. We suggest that members of the public use this location as a viewing spot.
Members of the public are also respectfully requested not to interrupt contractors or workers on site with questions about the project while construction is in progress, as their attention is required on the work at hand. All queries should instead be directed to Lyn Aitken at the SFPO, using the contact details provided below.
Brad Peens has a surfing YouTube Channel called Down The Line and has introduced the current state of the LTCPS or groyne project with his ‘This Changes Everything’ video.
Here, he documents the early stages of the Long Term Coastal Protection Scheme.
Today, Thursday, 31 July, will see a delivery of dredging pipes alongside Ralph Road. The drop-off zone will be in the area between Lara Road and where Ralph Road slides away from the beach, as you are heading north. This delivery will comprise 64 pipes of 15m in length. This pipe delivery continues the prep work for the Long Term Coastal Protection Scheme (LTCPS). The scheme will dredge sand from the Sand River Delta and other priority areas on The Kromme to various discharge points along the beachfront for beach nourishment, extending up to Main Beach.
The final dredging pipeline will comprise pipes ranging in length from 15 to 90m. Due to their length, the pipeline will be assembled onsite. This process begins with the delivery of the pipe, and then the subsequent welding will take place over the following 6 weeks.
The third phase will involve moving, placing and joining the pipe in its final location.
The dredging process is estimated to commence three months from the initial placement of the piping.
Miller Engineered Solutions is the appointed contractor for the dredging.
Stay Informed
Further details, updates, and progress reports are available on the St Francis Property Owners Association website under the SFPO NPC (SRA) menu.
Nu-Plant Projects, a specialist earthworks contractor, is currently constructing a 3.5-metre-wide temporary access road along the crest of the St Francis spit.
This road will serve as a dedicated service corridor, enabling construction machinery to access multiple points along the beach for the purposes of groyne construction and beach nourishment.
Public Moorings Shut Down
For health and safety reasons, the two public mooring points located on the inner side of the ski boat canal, which are commonly used for beach access over the spit, will be temporarily removed. These access points intersect with the construction corridor and therefore fall within the active construction zone.
Stay Informed
Further details, updates, and progress reports are available on the St Francis Property Owners Association website under the SFPO NPC (SRA) menu.
St Francis Bay Groyne Project Update – a regular column where we dig a little deeper into what is happening with the groyne field project in St Francis Bay.
Our second column consists of further questions for Wayne Furphy, the Chairperson of the St Francis Property Owners Association and the SFPO Nonprofit Company.
There are five phases in total identified for the long-term coastal protection scheme. We understand that work will start with phases 1 and 2. When do you think phases 1 and 2 will be finished?
Phases 1 and 2 include three groynes. The construction of the first three groynes and the nourishment of the beaches on the Spit and Main Beach is expected to take 14 months. Construction of the groynes will commence first and should be finished within the first 3-6 months, whereas the sand nourishment will commence later, take longer and will be completed within the 14 months contract period.
Where will the first groyne be positioned?
The first groyne will be positioned at the northern end of the Spit at the river mouth. The Environmental Authorisation specifies the order in which the groynes are constructed and the beach areas nourished with sand. Hence the phases 1 to 5, shown on the groyne field diagram.
Where is the sand going to come from?
The sand will come from the Kromme River. The areas from which sand will be taken have been identified. This required extensive environmental investigation and surveying the river, sampling and comparing the sand sample in the river to the sand found on the beach to ensure they are of a similar granular size.
How is that sand going to be transported to the beaches?
The contractors bidding for this project will propose how they will transport the sand from the river to the beach. The most likely method will be dredging the sand from the river onto the beach. We are inviting contractors to offer other alternatives if they are cheaper and quicker.
A regular column where we dig a little deeper into what is happening with the groyne field project in St Francis Bay.
Our first column consists of some straightforward questions to Wayne Furphy, who is the Chairperson of the St Francis Property Owners Association and the SFPO Non Profit Company.
Many questions have been floating around about the progress of the Long Term Coastal Protection Solution in St Francis Bay. Most of the questions pertain to whether we will actually see this groyne field project come to fruition, what the groynes will be constructed out of, and when we can expect the construction to start.
SFT: Are we going to see the groynes being constructed?
WF: Groynes are used around the world to protect and preserve beaches. A groyne field consisting of six groynes forms the basis of our Long Term Coastal Protection Solution in St Francis Bay. The groynes will be constructed using rocks. We start with the two groynes on the Spit, then move to Anne Avenue where we construct the third groyne. We will then nourish the beach between the two groynes on the Spit, as well as Main Beach to the south of the Anne Avenue groyne.
When will construction begin?
WF: We expect to be ready to start construction in September this year. This will depend on (1) the price tendered falling within the cost estimates calculated by Worley (the Coastal Engineers who designed this solution) and the funds we have available at this point in time, and (2) the time required by the contractor to mobilise for this project, i.e. moving their equipment from their current location to St Francis Bay. We expect the construction of the three groynes and the sand nourishment on the Spit and Main Beach to take approximately 14 months. The remaining groynes and sand nourishment will be undertaken once we have additional funding available to do so.
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