Boardwalk and Bulkhead Project at Roger Wheeler State Beach is Underway

Published on Tuesday, September 24, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that a project to construct a new boardwalk and bulkhead at Roger Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett has begun – the project will feature a new concrete boardwalk to provide access from the parking area along the stretch of the beach. The boardwalk will feature new shade structures, sidewalks, foot washing stations, American Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant access ramps, and concrete benches. DEM's 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 steel bulkhead that was originally installed in the 1950s separating the beach and parking lot areas has shown signs of deterioration and will be replaced, an example of the challenges including sea level rise, flooding, and erosion that Rhode Island’s coastal communities are increasingly contending with due to the impacts of climate change. The existing steel sheet piles will be cut and removed, and a new concrete retaining wall will be installed spanning 1,200 feet across both sides of the pavilion, strengthening the resilience of the beach facility’s infrastructure to the growing impacts of climate change. The project also includes the relocation of a short section of the Town 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 road to access the beach. To construct the new boardwalk and bulkhead, the waterline will be relocated roughly 100 feet north of the new boardwalk in the beach parking lot. Roger Wheeler is a location where the federally protected Piping Plover shorebirds are known to nest, and DEM has been working closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ensure the protection of birds and nests throughout construction.

DEM received over $3.1M in funding for the project from a portion of banked Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) formula funding that Rhode Island has accumulated over in recent years. Each year, RI receives a formula allotment of LWCF funding from the National Park Service (NPS) and DEM applied to access to the funds for this project. The portions of the construction work not funded by LWCF are funded through the voter-approved 2021 Beach, Clean Water, and Green Economy Bond. Ferreira Construction of Branchburg, New Jersey has been hired to perform the work, with a contract value of $10,619,308. The design work was developed by Lincoln, RI-based Pare Corporation and was funded through RI Capital funds. 

“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, which is partly funded through the 2021 Green Bond, 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. We urge Rhode Island voters to approve Question 4 in November. 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.”

DEM generally plans major construction and maintenance projects outside of the busy summer season to avoid potential disruptions to visitor experiences. Roger Wheeler 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. This work will prevent the annual early opening of Roger Wheeler State Beach on weekends two weeks ahead of Memorial Day, when state beach season official starts. The project is expected to be completed before Memorial Day in late May 2025, but will continue during the off-season until Spring 2026 if necessary.

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