Sunny Days Ahead: Beach Restoration Project is on Track

It was great news for those who have been following the Winthrop Beach restoration project with the announcement by the office of the State Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs that the DCR can proceed to the permitting of this project that is intended to provide critical storm protection and to enhance and preserve the future of the beach.

There was a project change that helped move the project along, the identification of an alternative source for beach nourishment material, which now will come from the abandoned highway embankment project which was part of the extension of I-95 to Lynn and Peabody. (We seem to recall that 20 years ago, the City of Revere rejected this sand for the Revere Beach restoration project because it was not white enough to match Revere Beach’s famous white sand beach.) The material will be transported by trucks weekdays to Winthrop with as many as 170 trips per day.

Traffic safety measures and accommodations for the interests of business owners and residents who will  be affected by the project certainly will merit serious consideration by all parties involved. But this project has been stalled for a long time and it is heartening that  we can see an end to this process, which promises a bright future for Winthrop Beach.