Logo courtesy of the State of Rhode Island
Construction has gotten under way on a $10.6 million boardwalk and bulkhead project at Rhode Island's Roger Wheeler State Park in Narragansett.
The state's Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in Providence announced Sept. 24 that plans call for a new concrete boardwalk to provide access from the beach's parking area. Additionally, the boardwalk will feature new shade structures, sidewalks, foot washing stations, American Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant access ramps and concrete benches.
In a news release, the state agency noted that its Division of Parks and Recreation "is committed to accessibility and aims to make each state park and beach location as barrier-free as possible for the convenience of those with limited mobility. The new boardwalk and shade structures will enhance accessibility to the beach area while providing an increasingly important respite from the sun."
The current steel bulkhead at Roger Wheeler State Park, originally installed in the 1950s to separate the beach and parking lot areas, has shown signs of deterioration and will be replaced, according to DEM. That degradation, the department noted, is due to several challenges that the state's coastal communities are increasingly contending with due to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, flooding and erosion.
Ferreira Construction in Branchburg, N.J., was hired to perform the work, and its design was developed by Lincoln, R.I.-based Pare Corp.
The existing steel sheet piles will be cut and removed, and a new concrete retaining wall will be installed spanning 1,200 ft. across both sides of the pavilion, strengthening the resilience of the beach facility's infrastructure to the growing impacts of climate change. In addition, the project includes the relocation of a short section of Narragansett's existing water main, which travels through a portion of the site.
The original roadway and waterline, also constructed in the 1950s, ran along the length of the existing bulkhead and pavilion. Since then, the roadway has been relocated and a parking lot has been added so that beachgoers would not need to cross the busy street to access the shore. To construct the new boardwalk and bulkhead, the waterline will be relocated roughly 100 ft. to the north in the beach parking lot.
DEM generally plans major construction and maintenance projects outside of the busy summer season to avoid potential disruptions to visitor experiences. The state agency said that Roger Wheeler State Park will be fully open to the public during the 2025 beach season, but portions of the site will be closed to the public during the off-season periods to allow construction to take place.
It will, however, prevent the annual early opening of the beach two weeks ahead of Memorial Day, when Rhode Island's beach season official starts. If necessary, the agency noted, the work will continue during the off-season until spring 2026.
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Roger Wheeler State Park is a location where the federally protected Piping Plover shorebirds are known to nest, and Rhode Island DEM has been working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ensure the protection of birds and nests throughout the construction process.
The state agency received more than $3.1 million for the project from a portion of banked Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) formula funding that Rhode Island has accumulated in recent years. Each year, the state receives a formula allotment of LWCF funding from the National Park Service (NPS), and DEM applied to get monies from that allotment for this project.
The portions of the construction work not funded by LWCF will be paid for through the voter-approved 2021 Rhode Island Beach, Clean Water, and Green Economy Bond.
"Roger Wheeler is a popular family-oriented beach due to its gentle surf and beach pavilion featuring a child-friendly environmental education area," said DEM Director Terry Gray. "This project … will help modernize and protect this facility and is an example of the importance of the investments that the state of Rhode Island can make in public assets thanks to green bonds."
With state residents set to decide on the passage of the 2024 Green Bond in the November elections, Gray appealed to them to approve the measure once again.
"Passage of the 2024 Green Bond will help fund projects that will increase Rhode Island's resilience against climate change, protect clean water, revitalize brownfield sites and conserve open space," he explained.
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