Exclusive: cost blow-out after 'unsuccessful tender' for Port Macquarie's breakwall upgrade

Even as recently as May 10, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) was advising visitors to its project website that "we are still aiming to start construction in May 2023 following the Ironman event."

But Ironman Australia has been and gone and now TfNSW has replaced that website advice with: "a definitive start date for construction has not yet been determined".

Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams has confirmed to the Port News that it's because the recent tender process was unsuccessful.

"A new tender is about to be issued for the work, which will include widening the footpath to accommodate the increased popularity of the coastal walk," Mrs Williams said.

Not only does that mean a delay but also a likely blow-out in construction costs. These were previously estimated to be around $5 million.

It also means "a lot of uncertainty" for Breakwall HQ cafe owner Bec Howard, who first heard about the new delay when contacted by the Port News.

"Everything we have been doing down there has been put on hold because we thought we'd be closed for six to nine months," she said.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council had extended her lease on the popular beachside cafe, but only until next February. She said it too had struggled to get an updated timeline from TfNSW.

Breakwall user Gary Frankel said it was good to delay the project a bit but the uncertainty continued.

"Nobody is resolving any of the issues the residents are bringing up at the moment," he said.

After the Port News contacted TfNSW to clarify its now projected start date, a spokesperson confirmed that a project redesign was underway.

"We will go out to tender again once we have completed [that] redesign in July," the spokesperson said.

Mrs Williams met the new Minister for Transport Jo Haylen in parliament on Thursday, May 25, to discuss the project.

In a statement released on Wednesday, May 31, minister Haylen said she supports the upgrade.

"It's vital the beautiful Port Macquarie breakwall is restored and retained for years to come," she said.

"As this project goes back out to tender, it's a critical opportunity for us to get this right.

"I'll work with the local member, the local community and our maritime experts to find the balance between the needs of the local environment and the longevity of the wall."

Save the Breakwall advocate Damien King is heartened by her statement, particularly her reference to "restore and maintain".

"They (TfNSW) haven't been super clear on what exactly they're going to do, but they've either looked at it and thought this is going to cost more than $5 million, or they've taken on Angus Gordon's advice which says it only needs repairing and not a reconstruction," he said.

"Re-tendering everything means that the design could potentially change."

Mr King said before the group gets "too excited" they need to get clarity on "what the proposal is" moving forward.

TfNSW now anticipates work will not start until at least later this year with the new completion date of mid 2024.

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