The town will soon replace the century-old, dilapidated seawall at Midtown Beach with a new structure expected to cost $20 million to build.
Construction will begin on the new wall as early as January and require up to two years to complete, Town Engineer Patricia Strayer told the Shore Protection Board on Thursday.
Built of sheet pile with a concrete cap, the existing 2,715-foot-long structure extends from Royal Palm Way to Gulfstream Road. Since the 1920s, it has protected South Ocean Boulevard and residential buildings in the Midtown Beach area from pounding surf.
“If the seawall fails, everything behind it starts failing,” Strayer told the Palm Beach Civic Association. “The road fails, then the condos.”
From a visual perspective, the new wall won’t be all that different from the existing one. The elevation of the structural wall – the non-decorative portion that defends upland structures against damage caused by wave energy – will be roughly the same at 15.9 feet.
“The project is a structural upgrade that falls in line with our [coastal] resiliency program,” Strayer said.
Plans call for the removal and replacement of the existing knee walls, gates, beach access stairs and ramps along Midtown Beach.
Throughout the construction, there will be no parking at Midtown Beach, Strayer said.
The “phasing of access” to Midtown Beach has not been determined, Strayer said. Nearby Clarke Avenue beach will remain open.
One northbound lane and one southbound lane on South Ocean Boulevard will remain open to traffic throughout the construction period, she said.
Midtown sand renourishment
The sand in front of the seawall is the first line of defense against surf damage, Strayer said. She said she pushed hard to get the current sand renourishment of Midtown Beach completed before the new wall is built.
Sand nourishment began in March 2026. More than 500,000 cubic yards of offshore sand is being dredged and placed on 3.4 miles of beach between Seminole Avenue and Banyan Road, including Midtown Beach.
Due to weather delays, the completion date has been extended to May 16.
New chairman
At Thursday’s meeting, the shore board voted 6-0 to name Peter Matwiczyk to replace Ronald Matzner as its chairman. Matzner recently resigned because he is no longer a town resident, officials said.
The board unanimously voted to name board member Lawrence Kaplan to succeed Matwiczyk as vice chairman. Kaplan was recently named a Civic Association director.
The board advises the Town Council on matters related to shore protection and coastal management. Its seven members must be town residents and are appointed by the council to serve three-year terms.
The board recommended that the council review candidates to fill the vacancy created by Matzner’s resignation at the beginning of the new season in November.
The shore board’s next meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 8 in the meeting chambers at Town Hall.
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