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Fort Point seawall delayed as town advances River Street and beach resiliency work
Summary
Town staff told North Weymouth residents the Fort Point seawall is farther along in permitting but faces a federal funding delay; DPW also reported River Street raising, dredging and coastal plantings tied to the Wesagussett Walk and other resiliency grants.
Town engineering staff and the mayor updated residents on multiple coastal-resiliency projects, saying some permitting is complete but federal funding delays have slowed construction timelines.
Mayor Robert Hedlund described the long effort on the Fort Point seawall and said permitting had been extensive because of regulatory complexity, but that some federal funding recently was delayed. "We were geared up to get that money, and now that's delayed," Hedlund said, noting earlier easement disputes also set the project back 2–3 years.
Jim McGrath, DPW engineering (speaker 17), told the meeting construction drawings and bid specifications for the Fort Point/Willow Seawall should be ready to go out to bid in the fall and said the town has funding to proceed to bid. He described additional related work: drainage and paving on Regatta Road, and a River Street raising project whose state reviewers asked the town to consider increasing the elevation to address flooding and permitting comments.
McGrath said soils at the coastal revetment required removal and replacement with structural soils to make the project durable. "They're pulling out all the old soils... and bringing in new structural soils to make it so the project can be done right the first time," he said.
Hedlund and staff also summarized grant funding used so far: Seaport Economic Development Council grants, mitigation funds from Enbridge and a congressional earmark were all cited as sources that limited impacts on the town's road- and school-related capital budgets. The mayor said some work would proceed with lower-permit requirements (the River Street raising required fewer permits than the seawall) and that some construction would be staged to avoid conflicting capital needs.
What comes next: engineering expects bid-ready plans this fall for the seawall and a likely construction start after permitting and funding resolve; drainage, paving and planting work on Regatta and River Street are scheduled as permitting and post-construction timelines allow.
