The beaches in Point Pleasant Beach will receive protection in the form of a seawall as part of an agreement reached Tuesday night at a borough council meeting.

The agreement settles a lawsuit between Jenkinson's Pavilion and the borough, state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Stephen Reid called the reached agreement a big step forward in getting much-needed replenishment along a main section of the beach.

The wall will run from the Inlet to just south of Arnold Avenue near Little Mac's. It will be made of steel and anchored 20 to 30 feet into the sand about 10 feet off the Jenkinson’s Boardwalk. Jenkinson’s will pay for the wall at a cost of $5 million. The contested dune project proposed for the beach will then continue south to the Bay Head border.

The federally funded dune project will consist of dunes 20 to 23 feet high and 40 feet wide south of the wall. The wall will come up to about eye level on the boardwalk because Reid said there is already about 15 feet of elevation in the area. 

Construction could begin as soon as next year.