Mohegan Bluffs staircase on Block Island to close to repair safety concerns
Bad news for anyone planning their first Block Island trip of the season: After this weekend, you won't be able to climb the stairs down to the bottom of Mohegan Bluffs.
The wooden staircase that zigzags down the 150-foot bluffs will be closed for "critical repairs" starting Monday, the Department of Environmental Management announced on Thursday.
The Edward S. Payne Overlook and adjacent parking lot will also be closed during construction.
DEM spokesman Jay Wegimont said on Friday that repairs are expected to take four to five days.
"If hidden damage (for example, wood rot) is found while performing the repairs, then that would extend the timeframe," he wrote in an email. "Hopefully no hidden damage is uncovered as sourcing and transporting materials to the island obviously takes more time than if we were doing the repairs on the mainland."
The staircase has more than 140 steps and sees large numbers of visitors every summer. New Shoreham town officials notified DEM on Jan. 26 that there was a broken handrail and loose stair treads on the stairway, Wegimont said.
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The repair project went through a standard bidding and procurement process, Wegimont said. The contractor that was chosen, Cranston-based Sole Source Construction, alerted the DEM on May 16th that they would begin work on May 23.
"Public spaces must be accessible for public enjoyment and accessibility starts with safety," DEM Director Terry Gray said in a statement on Thursday. "We hope that those wishing to take in the dramatic view of the Atlantic from the overlook will understand that it must be temporarily closed while the staircase is being repaired. As always, DEM appreciates the partnership of the Town of New Shoreham and The Nature Conservancy in ensuring public access to this spectacular vista."
Concerns about the safety of the heavily trafficked staircase have arisen in the past. In 2015, then-Gov. Gina Raimondo visited the bluffs on vacation with her children and said that the drop-off at the end of the stairs was "too dangerous" and needed to be fixed, according to the Block Island Times. That led to the creation of a new pathway at the bottom of the bluffs.
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It will still be theoretically possible to reach the beach at the bottom of Mohegan Bluffs by hiking from other access points along the coast, like Vaill Beach, though that will require a longer hike.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Block Island: Mohegan Bluffs staircase to temporary close
