Dawlish's new £80m sea wall is now in its "final stages" as construction of a link bridge connecting the two sections nears completion.

The walkway under the viaduct to the town's beach has now reopened.

Network Rail said it was "looking forward" to opening more of the public areas, including the new link bridge, stilling basin area and promenade, later this spring.

The project, which will include a channel for Dawlish Water to flow out to sea, has seen several delays.

Testing out the link bridge (Network Rail)

Network Rail spokesperson Alina Wolfe-Murray said: "We have faced some considerable challenges during construction; not least the discovery of an uncharted gas main last summer which pushed our programme back by several weeks.

"We faced further delays over the winter when heavy rain, wind and freezing temperatures... slowed down or prevented activities such as pouring concrete and grouting paving.

L: Latest progress. R: CGI mock-up of the completed link bridge and channel (Network Rail)

"The recent better weather has allowed us to push forward with creating the new public area around the stilling basin, where 140,000 granite blocks that make up the surface are being laid by hand. 

"There's still work to do and we are working to get it completed as soon as we can, depending on the weather. We're looking forward to opening up more of the public areas later this spring."

Work on the first section of the sea wall at Dawlish from Kennaway Tunnel at Boat Cove along Marine Parade to the Colonnade breakwater (on Dawlish Town Beach) was completed in July 2020.

The second section of the sea wall is from the Colonnade breakwater to the Coastguard breakwater. Work began in November 2020.

What is the progress of other projects at the railway?

Work on a rockfall shelter north of Parson's Tunnel between Dawlish and Holcombe began in late 2021 and is due to be complete in autumn 2023. 

A new accessible footbridge with lifts at Dawlish railway station is due to open in summer 2023 after work began in September.

Netting and fencing work on the cliffs between Dawlish and Holcombe to protect the railway from falling debris will start in spring 2023.