Construction on replacement stairs at the northern end of Soldiers Beach began on April 29 and is expected to be complete by September, subject to weather.
The works are the last of four projects funded with $2.44M received from the Australian and NSW governments as part of the 2021 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program with additional contributions from Central Coast Council to improve access for Soldiers Beach and Jenny Dixon Beach.
Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said Soldiers Beach was a popular spot for locals and repairing the northern stairs and vehicle ramp access was an important project to ensure they could continue to use this community asset.
“We know public spaces, like beaches, are not only enjoyed by everyone in the community but also visitors, and this co-funded program is ensuring that damaged community infrastructure is being repaired so it can be accessed for many years to come,” he said.
Council Acting Director Environment and Planning Luke Sulkowski said Council was pleased to be reaching the final milestone of the four projects.
“Replacement of the northern stairs and the vehicle access ramp have been long awaited by the community,” he said.
“Soldiers Beach is a very popular location and completion of these works are planned to bring full access back to the beach just before the next beach season.
“Each of the four projects required detailed preliminary investigation work, designs and approvals to ensure longevity before shovels could hit the ground.
“In this last project, the new vehicle access ramp will be an almost like-for-like replacement of the existing partially demolished concrete ramp, but it will be slightly steeper and will include deep piled foundations to support resilience to large waves and storm events.
“The new northern stairs will be located east of the previous set of stairs, which have been demolished.
“The new stairs will extend from the carpark adjacent the headland at the northern end of the beach, providing more direct access from the carpark onto the beach.
“Some locals might remember that the older concrete stairs replaced in about 2008 were in this same location.
“The new stairs will essentially be a combination of concrete and aluminium truss construction, and will include anchors into the rock platform, making them more resilient to extreme weather events.
“They will meet appropriate current design standards and better serve our community.
“Small sections of land at the entry of the ramp and stairs will be closed off during the works period, to provide direct access for construction vehicles, site sheds and materials storage during the construction process.
“The majority of the northern carpark and the remainder of the grassed reserve area adjacent the surf club will remain open for public access.”
Sulkowski said remaining works to be completed at Jenny Dixon Beach stairs were also progressing well and due for completion in June.
Residents are advised to stay away from the impacted area, remain behind any barriers that Council crews or contractors have put in place and check Council’s website or Facebook page for updates
The 2021 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
For more information on the project search ‘Beach access projects’ at centralcoast.nsw,gov.au
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