(The following story by Amy Renczkowski appeared on The Day website on July 6, 2009.)
EAST LYME, Conn. — Amtrak will need about 4,300 truckloads of sand to replenish the beach it will damage when it replaces the Niantic River Bridge.
Amtrak officials plan to haul in 65,000 cubic yards of sand during the construction project, which might start as early as this fall. The state Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing the application.
A major component of the project – an idea suggested by the town’s engineers – is to construct a terminal groin, a type of sea wall, made out of rock in the bay west of the mouth of the Niantic River. The 230-foot-long structure, which will sit perpendicular to the beach, will collect the sand and nourish the beach to widen it along where the new railroad tracks will be located.
The new bridge will be 58 feet south of the existing, century-old lift span bridge over the Niantic River.
Plans to replace the 2,000-foot-long beach were important to the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Micheal Grzywinski, senior environmental analyst at the DEP.
”The state’s goal is to preserve its coastal resources,” Grzywinski said. “We wanted to make sure the project doesn’t diminish the beach.”
Grzywinski said the department will be examining test samples of the proposed sand to make sure it is as coarse as or more coarse than the existing sand. He said grain size and sand coloration are also important.
”Hopefully the beach will be similar to what it is today,” Grzywinski said.
Representatives from Amtrak aren’t sure how they will transport the sand – whether by boat, railroad or trucks – because they said it will depend on the contractor hired for the project.
Also in question is where the sand will be stored when it is brought to the site.
First Selectman Paul Formica said when plans for the bridge replacement were being drafted, the town stressed the importance of the boardwalk and the beach to Amtrak engineers.
”We wanted to make sure the beach was replaced but also having the groin accessible at all times was important,” Formica said.
The stone groin will be flared at the end like a baseball bat and will taper back by the beach area, according to Grzywinski. The top of the surface will be flat, which will allow people to walk across and use it as a fishing pier.
According to the DEP, there are other communities that have “built” beaches but not to the extent that Amtrak is proposing.
At Knollwood Beach in Old Saybrook, the beach association has been working for several years to restore its 700-foot-long beach. Every year, the association distributes 400 cubic yards of sand to replenish the beach.
The Knollwood Beach Association is now waiting for approval from the DEP to build a terminal groin parallel to the shore, according to association President George Dagon. The terminal groin would be installed for the same purpose as Amtrak is proposing.
In East Lyme, Formica said it was helpful that the town, Amtrak and the DEP were able to work together.
”It was a big benefit to the process that the town and the state (have) been working together to find solutions that are a win-win,” he said.