Section of Cliff Walk reopens with help from private property owners
Visitors to the city’s Cliff Walk will once again be able to traverse the trail’s rugged southern end uninterrupted after repairs were made to an elevated walkway behind Miramar that had been closed since April.
The repairs, which were carried out with thanks to the Schwarzman family, followed the discovery of a suspected sinkhole beneath a section of concrete sidewalk that runs along one of the most scenic and remote sections of the beloved 3.5-mile coastal trail.
As with any repair along the walk, access and collaboration with private property owners is of paramount importance. In this case, working in coordination with the private property owners that abut the walk, engineers were able to complete repairs in a matter of weeks and at no cost to taxpayers.
“This was a truly remarkable effort on behalf of the property owners, the city, and a real service to the community,” said Peter Janaros, who chairs the City’s Cliff Walk Commission. “Everybody should be applauded all around: From our volunteer who first brought the potential hazard to the attention of the city, to the property owners, who were able to secure the proper state approvals and generously funded the repairs, we simply wouldn’t have been able to get this section of walkway reopened in time for summer if not for the incredible spirit of community that surrounds the Cliff Walk.”
Winding its way along the eastern shore of Aquidneck Island, the Cliff Walk has for years ranked as Rhode Island’s top tourist destination, bringing in millions of dollars each year to the local economy and is recognized as a National Recreation Trail by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Previous closures along Cliff Walk
The sinkhole-related closure was the latest to occur along the popular trail on Newport's waterfront.
A portion of the iconic walking trail along the coast of Easton Bay collapsed in March 2022 and sustained further damage later that year in December.
More: The Cliff Walk continues to crumble into the sea. Are repairs worth Newport's investment?
While the collapsed section of the trail is closed to the public, a detour taking walkers around the area is in place.
Efforts to seek funds for repairs
Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Congressman Gabe Amo announced in April that more than $16 million has been awarded to the state "to fix and fortify the Cliff Walk."
According to a release from Reed's office a $5 million federal earmark they jointly secured in the Fiscal 2024 Consolidated Appropriations law, which President Joe Biden signed in March, and a new $11,000,800 Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) grant, will be used to aid the waterfront attraction.
The $5 million federal earmark will help pay for engineering and design work. While the $11 million federal PROTECT funds may be used to shore up infrastructure vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cliff Walk reopened near Mirimar estate following sinkhole repair
