Crews to replace storm-damaged stairs at Salisbury Beach
Crews began working at Salisbury Beach late last week to tear down wooden staircases over the sand dunes that were damaged by storms in December and January, leaving some beach access points unusable, officials said.
Workers began demolition on stairways at access points 9 and 10 at Salisbury Beach on Thursday and will continue through Feb. 16, while also “adding sand to the dune system to restore safe access to the beach,” the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said.
“Our team remains committed to supporting the Salisbury community and we will continue to work with them and with the Town and elected officials to address the impacts of erosion at the Beach,” a DCR spokesperson said in a statement.
The department will also be scheduling repairs to stairs at access point 8 “to replace portions of the structure damaged in recent storms and add sand,” officials said.
Successive storms in December and January first damaged, then “pretty much destroyed” the stairway at one access point on the north side, and the heavier storm in January damaged two other staircases, according to Town Manager Neil Harrington.
“I’ve been here 20 years; this storm in January of this year was the worst . . . in recent memory,” Harrington said in an interview Thursday. “We’re exposed to the open ocean, and depending upon which way the wind blows, and the direction of the storm, and the velocity of the waves, and how it hits the beach, any storm of any magnitude could cause serious damage.”
The DCR closed access point 9 on Dec. 20, citing storm damage, and closed access point 8 on Jan. 10. “For the safety of our visitors, the access point will remain closed until further notice,” the department said in announcing both closures.
A town on the New Hampshire border, Salisbury was one of multiple communities up and down the Massachusetts co ast hit last month by strong storms combined with naturally occurring high tides. Sand dunes that had protected waterfront properties were wiped away by crashing waves and powerful winds that ripped away stairs, decks, and even doors.
Harrington said the recent damage follows storm damage in December 2022 that required the replacement of several stairways before the summer 2023 beach season began.
“Now, this year’s storm has created a significantly higher amount of damage,” he said. He hopes the staircases being removed will be replaced before summer.
The January storm damaged not only DCR property, Harrington said, “But there was also a significant loss of dunes in front of dozens and dozens of homes, and some homes actually sustained damage themselves.
“The loss of dune protection is the most critical factor here when a storm comes in, such as the one in January, and it erodes significant amount of dune, then it exposes not only DCR access points but [also] hundreds of homes and private property to potential serious damage,” he said.
Harrington said thousands of tons of sand need to be brought in to repair dune damage on the north side of the beach, and Salisbury officials are working with DCR and private property owners to address the issue. Several property owners will have sand delivered, at their own expense, to replenish their properties abutting the state beach, Harrington said.