SANDWICH – The Town of Sandwich is moving forward with plans to reconstruct its boardwalk.
Sandwich Town Meeting in 2018 determined that the approximately 1,500-foot-long boardwalk is deteriorating rapidly and could quickly become a safety risk.
The evaluations indicated the beams, posts, bracing, and metal fasteners had exceeded their useful life.
The town reports that the new boardwalk will be placed in the exact same location as the current structure, but with altered dimensions.
The new deck will be 4’ to 5’ taller than it is now to meet current storm surge standards and to accommodate a 6’ wide walkway which adds 1’ of width.
New rails will be 6” higher as required by safety code.
The town reports that jumping from the reconstructed boardwalk will still be permitted.
The Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Sandwich Historical omission and the Sandwich Historic Committee determined that because the boardwalk has been fully repaired, replaced, and altered from its original construction it is not an example of a historically significant structure.
The town will hold a community forum in late August to review three possible boardwalk rail designs and allow community feedback.
The boardwalk was originally constructed in 1875 by Gus Howland.
The most recent major reconstruction of the Boardwalk took place in 1992 due to damage sustained by Hurricane Bob.
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By, Matthew Tomlinson, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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