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Marshfield's seawall improvements face first test

MARSHFIELD, Mass. — Troubling weather is expected to move through this weekend, which has coastal areas preparing.

Marshfield, which was hit hard last winter, is counting on more than a million dollars’ worth of changes to help protect their area.

MORE: Homes knocked off foundation by seawall collapse

Marshfield's coastline regularly takes a beating during storms and above average high tides. But the town has made several changes to harden up their coastline like adding these huge boulders, but they say this weekend's nor’easter is a little earlier than expected.

“This a bad spot especially right in this basin,” Paul Krzyzewski explained. “It's like a basin on the jetty and catches all the wind and waves and just builds it up and throws it up on the shore."

Even on calm days, the waves can be relentless. %

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Marshfield's frontline now has a new 650-foot-long concrete seawall that is not just stronger but higher.

“This wall is three feet higher than the existing wall,” Marshfield Department of Public Works Deputy Superintendent Shawn Patterson said.

Many Marshfield homes still show the injuries from last winter -- especially from the weekly onslaught of nor'easters.  The DPW says town administrators found about $1.5 million to build a longer wall, fix drainage issues and build new spillways that allow the water to flow away preventing road washouts.

“It won't stand there, and it won't undermine the road. It will go right out into the marsh,” Patterson said.

All eyes are on the wall -- as a nor'easter moves in this weekend.  %

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“Just hope for the best, but expect the worst,” Krzyzewski said.

Marshfield officials are still expecting some flooding, but they say all the improvements should help -- especially during the moderate storms.

MORE: Marshfield improving Brant Rock seawall for storms to come