Sandwich Boardwalk could be under construction by summer. One permit remains

SANDWICH―After years of delay, the Sandwich Boardwalk's reconstruction project, will move forward Feb. 17.

"In mid-December we sent a letter to the Coast Guard and they made a determination that the boardwalk over Mill Creek Bridge meets the Coast Guard's requirements for advanced approval designation," said Town of Sandwich Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper.

The Sandwich Boardwalk, slated for replacement and then heavily damaged in a winter storm, crosses Mill Creek and the Old Harbor Marsh in Sandwich.

The advanced approval falls under The Code of Federal Regulations Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters, and will ensure that bids for construction go out Feb. 17.

Formerly under the Army Corps of Engineers, the entirety of the project is now under U.S. Coast Guard designation, and all permits have been received, with the exception of one temporary matting permit, said Harper. The matting, which will allow pile drivers and equipment to roll along the floor of the marsh, falls under the Army Corps of Engineers' threshold.

"We are very hopeful, subject to the permit relative to the matting, that we can open bids and then it's subject to a general contractors construction schedule and time of year limitations for work in some of the habitat areas that we are working in," said Harper.

More:Sandwich Historic District Committee approves demolition, replacement of Sandwich boardwalk

With the advanced approval designation, Harper said the boardwalk could be under construction by summer.

"The community is anxious for us to get to work on it for sure," said Harper.

How jurisdiction for the Sandwich Boardwalk changed

The town originally submitted a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But the Corps, while looking through historical documentation, found out that the Coast Guard is responsible for the boardwalk permit, according to a Dec. 20 email sent to the town of Sandwich by a representative of the Corps.

In 1931, the Sandwich Boardwalk project was authorized as a bridge under the Rivers and Harbors Act. In 1967, the bridge program was transferred to the Coast Guard, according to the email.

The replacement boardwalk was budgeted at $3 million in November 2021.

What is the history of the Sandwich Boardwalk?

Reconstruction of the Sandwich Boardwalk was approved at a town meeting in 2018.

Much of the boardwalk had reached the end of its useful life, which prompted the town to initiate an overhaul. The Sandwich Historic District Committee approved a design for a replacement in July 2021 after two years of lengthy debate by residents and officials.

However, much of the existing structure was destroyed during a blizzard in January 2022.

About 225 feet of the boardwalk was ripped off during the storm, including hundreds of planks on which residents had engraved their names. After a couple of residents found the pieces of boardwalk in a nearby marsh, the town retrieved the pieces and a group of volunteers worked to return the planks to their rightful owners.

Some residents, as well as the Friends of Sandwich Boardwalk, an advocacy group for historic preservation, hoped that repairs could be made to the existing boardwalk after the storm. The town instead opted to close the damaged boardwalk and focus on using money for the replacement.

At a town meeting in November, voters decided to indefinitely postpone funding for the reconstruction to wait until receiving a federal permit.

The new design for the boardwalk is intended to retain its historical significance while also being resilient to climate change and accessible for people with disabilities, according to a presentation by the town. The proposed reconstruction includes a six-foot-wide boardwalk, wooden railings 42 inches in height, and deck elevation of 10.5 feet, with a 12-foot elevation at Mill Creek Bridge. The new boardwalk will also have a plank engraving program, a wider platform with a ladder at Mill Creek, and beach access. The railings will be a timber/mesh combination.

The Coast Guard is currently reviewing the proposed project, said Harper.

Contact Rachael Devaney at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Sandwich Boardwalk reconstruction planners intend to seek bids soon