At the January Council Development Assessment Panel (CDAP) meeting, members voted that maintenance works be carried out by the Department for Transport, Energy & Infrastructure (DTEI) as long as the replacement materials used reflect existing materials to retain the cultural significance of the structure.

The CDAP said steel piles should only be used as a last resort option, as the timber piles of the Causeway are a feature originally sourced from local stringy barks growing in the Hindmarsh Valley area.

Maintenance will be carried out on about 17 per cent of the total deck area of the Causeway, and DTEI has said as much of the original fabric of the Causeway will be retained where possible during the maintenance work, but it is likely the extent of timber replacement will increase if it is in a worse condition than anticipated.

The Member for Finniss Michael Pengilly has called on the state government for a long-term solution, saying it is essential the Causeway is kept in a first-rate condition.

"I am of the firm view that if the Government does not act in the near future on both an inspection and audit, followed by a plan to budget for and commence major works on the current facility, or a new one a situation may well develop in the next few years whereby the Causeway is condemned and both a tourism and economic crises would beset the area," Mr Pengilly said in a letter to the Ministers office in November 2009. Corresponding with Mr Pengilly in January, Acting Minister for Infrastructure Paul Holloway said long-term preservation options for the Causeway would require independent planning and consideration of many factors including risks, funding, heritage issues as well as significant consultation with key parties.

Maintenance is expected to begin in April this year, and will take about three months to complete.

"The work will cause some disruption and inconvenience to Causeway users, although every effort will be made to ensure that the disruption is kept to a minimum," Minister Holloway said.