Palm Beach seawall replacement will close popular beach for 18 months

Behind the peach paint and scalloped edges of a familiar Palm Beach seawall is a structure that engineers say has reached the end of its useful life after more than a century of protecting the island.

Now, the town is preparing for a major replacement project that will change the look of the beachfront and close the beach for about a year and a half.

WATCH BELOW: Seawall replacement will close this beach for 18 months

The pastel-colored seawall has long blended into the scenery along a beach frequented by tourists and locals. Sandra Greenberg, who was visiting with her family from Virginia and has a condo in West Palm Beach, described it simply: "It's a great beach, love it."

A tourist visiting from Costa Rica shared the sentiment, saying, "Yes, it's perfect."

For people who live nearby, however, the beach can be more than a destination. It is part of their regular routine.

"This is where I come to, like, relax," said Bridget St. Laurent, a local and owner of Palm Beach Beauty Lab on Palm Beach. "It's my life, it's my backyard, I grew up here, and the fact I can just take a five-minute drive to the ocean means so much."

St. Laurent told WPTV she tries to visit once a week, if not more.

But that routine is about to be interrupted.

The seawall is one line of defense from hurricanes and storm surges that, over more than a century, has protected the island from what is estimated to be $7 billion in private property, along with critical infrastructure on Palm Beach.

Replacing it will require a lengthy beach closure, with the project expected to keep beachgoers away for approximately a year and a half.

"A year and a half? That's so sad," St. Laurent said after learning from WPTV how long the closure would last.

For regular visitors, the project means they will have to find another stretch of sand until the work is complete. Other beach options include Singer Island to the north, as well as Phipps Beach and Lake Worth Beach to the south.

When WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked Greenberg where she might go during the closure, she didn't have an alternative in mind.

"No, you're going to have to tell me where to go," she said.

Still, Greenberg said she understands why the work needs to be done, even if that means temporarily losing access to a beach her family enjoys.

"We're going to have to do it; let's just rip that band-aid off and get it done," Greenberg said.

The preparations are expected to become visible by the end of the year, when the pastel backdrop will be covered by fencing as work gets underway on the next chapter of the seawall.

"It's going to be a little bit of a nuisance for now, but more importantly we need to keep this community safe," Greenberg said.

For St. Laurent, the construction may keep her away for a while, but it won't keep her away permanently.

Asked whether she would return once the year-and-a-half project is finished, St. Laurent said, "Absolutely, I live here; this is my backyard."

A wildlife deterrent will also be created, including a turtle berm, a small wall to protect sea turtles from clashing with the construction.

Engineers say the new seawall will also include the iconic scalloped border.

Before construction gets underway, the town is also giving the community an opportunity to learn more about what is planned. The town engineer told WPTV that a meeting will be held on Oct. 29

from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Town Council Chambers, where the public can listen to a presentation and ask questions about the project.