Bass Hole Boardwalk Fully Reopened to the Public

YARMOUTH – The Bass Hole Boardwalk at Grays Beach has been reopened to the public after more than six months and extensive repair efforts.

The popular boardwalk was closed after an early January storm resulted in significant damage to Sections of the ¼-mile walkway including railings as well as observation platforms caused by a severe high tide and ice floes.

Yarmouth Natural Resources Director Karl Von Hone says that the boardwalk has been a popular attraction for decades and that its repair was a priority.

“The Basshole Boardwalk was built originally back in 1939,” he explained, “So its been a long-standing facility here in the Town of Yarmouth that is extremely popular for residents as well as visitors.”

Von Hone said the nor’easter was a perfect storm as its peak strength coincided with a high tide that was even higher due to a moon event.

“[It] brought the water levels up and over most of the marsh systems allowing the wind and the water to drive the ice floes up over the marsh and impacting a lot of our boardwalks and marinas,” he said.

Inmate work crews dispatched by Barnstable County Sheriff Jim Cummings last week put the final touches on the repair job.

While the inmate crews saved Yarmouth’s Department of Natural Resources approximately $25,000, the repair work is expected to run the town roughly $60,000.

Town officials have been investigating potential reimbursement through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency.