Cape Town: The refurbishment work of the Muizenberg beachfront is progressing well. Construction of the coastal revetment at the start of the St. James walkway is underway, the stormwater pipeline at Surfer’s Corner has been re-aligned and is now being installed.
The contractor has commenced the layer work at the western parking lot. If all goes as planned, then the parking area on the beach side, in front of the Muizenberg Civic Centre will remain open to the public until August 01, 2025.
Refurbishment work of the Muizenberg beachfront entails major upgrades to public amenities and is replacing the aged seawalls. This renovation forms a part of the investment of the City of Cape Town in popular beachfront areas to mitigate the impact of climate change on the beachfront and improve the quality of infrastructure in the area.
The project is being implemented in phases over a two-year period. The first phase commenced in Feb 2025 on the western side of Surfer’s Corner, next to the railway line where the informal gravel parking area remains closed to the public.
Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews said that he has been informed that the pre-casting of the concrete components for the main promenade has begun.
According to Andrews, this is happening off-site to ensure the highest quality work, for the manufacturing of the stepped revetment panels. Next, removal of portions of the old concrete seawalls will start, and the new stormwater infrastructure and piling work in Surfer’s Corner will be completed soon.
Furthermore, the Armour rock for the revetment at the beginning of the St. James Walkway has been placed and soon the new walkway will be constructed. Working in the tidal and wave run-up zone adds to the complexity of this project, especially during winter when people here often experience storm events, high winds and strong wave action.
This requires meticulous planning and flexibility to adapt to the climate. Residents of Cape Town use large sandbagss to provide temporary protection to the immediate surroundings in the corner because if the area is exposed once then they have to demolish the old step structure.
As for the parking area on the eastern side, in front of the Muizenberg Civic Centre, work is progressing well despite a minor setback. Where the team discovered during the excavations that the old retaining wall had no foundation and started to fail once they removed the old paving along the wall.
A new retaining wall will have to be constructed, but on the plus side: this one will be lower and provide additional seating. The stormwater infrastructure has been installed, and the contractor will start paving soon. The officials of the city are still aiming to open the parking area by August 01, 2025.