Multi-million-dollar project supports ongoing operations to keep Seaway safe and accessible

Our multi-million-dollar upgrade of the Gold Coast’s Sand Bypass System jetty is complete, supporting ongoing Seaway and inland coastal waterways access for boaties and commercial operators.

We’ve invested $3.35 million installing extra support beams underneath the jetty deck and widening  the decking to enable more modern and  bigger cranes to be used for maintenance.

The cranes are needed to lift the jet pumps out of the water so they can undergo maintenance. The pumps suck up sand from the seabed beneath the jetty and then pump it underneath the Seaway to South Stradbroke Island, keeping this vital connection between the ocean and the inland waterways open for recreational and commercial vessels.

The jetty strengthening project is one of the biggest upgrades to the Sand Bypass System since it began operating in the 1980s.

The job was carried out by local firm Alder Constructions with about 25 people working on site at the project’s peak providing a  boost for the business and their employees.

The project also involved the demolition of an ageing structure at the entrance to the jetty, enabling the installation of a new disability compliant ramp to improve access for visitors.

The jetty is again open to public access however, we’d like people to be aware that because the jetty supports working components of the Sand Bypass System we will have to close it  from time to time to allow work to be done safely.

The jetty will generally open to public access from 8 am to 8 pm with any changes to those hours being posted on  GCWA’s website and social media pages.

Completed in 1986, the Sand Bypass System was the first of its kind in the world.

The System is designed to replicate the natural northerly movement of sand along the Gold Coast’s coastline. In the 2019-2020 financial year it transported almost 661,000 m³ of sand under the Seaway to South Stradbroke Island, a similar amount to the previous year.

That’s enough sand to fill Cbus Stadium at Robina to a height of 132 metres.

The Sand Bypass System reduced the need to dredge the Gold Coast Seaway entrance annually to once every 5-8 years. The last time the Seaway entrance was dredged was in 2011.

With the jetty upgrade complete, planning is underway for a $6.5 million dredging campaign to remove a shoal near the Seaway entrance and dredge the adjacent North and South Channels.