Local News

DCR promises to fix Salisbury Beach entry points as residents remain frustrated

The three entry points are set to be demolished.

A 2018 photograph of erosion damage on Salisbury Beach. Handout

May 10, 2023

2 minutes to read

After months of closures, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is promising to restore three vital entry points to Salisbury Beach.

According to an email to Boston.com, DCR will look to demolish and eventually replace staircases 8,9, and 10 — three of the beach’s 14 access points which were closed in February due to sand erosion — and will work to create new, temporary access points as soon as possible.

“DCR is committed to working with the Town of Salisbury, community members and our legislative partners, Sen. Bruce Tarr and Rep. Dawn Shand as well as our state agency partners to develop and implement a plan to restore access to Salisbury Beach at three currently closed access points as quickly as possible and in a way that protects public safety and the environment,” DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo said in an email statement to Boston.com.

WCVB reported officials originally told Salisbury residents the staircases would be repaired by mid-May, but the department could not confirm the initial statement.

The department could not provide a timeline of when new, permanent entry points will be introduced, but said the work will be done as soon as possible.

Several residents spoke with the news station expressing their frustration towards the ongoing closures.

“Big safety issue,” Salisbury resident Mark St. Jean told WCVB. “If there’s an emergency on the beach, how are they going to get the person off the beach without these accesses? Never mind the swimmers. Everything, it’s frustrating.”

Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Tarr previously echoed these safety concerns, saying he is worried that visitors will look to climb down the dunes in place of taking the stairs.

“That isn’t safe,” Sen. Bruce Tarr, who chairs the Merrimack River Beach Alliance, told WCVB. “But, number two, if folks can’t use those access points, they’re going to come over the dunes and they’re going to more damage and make the situation even worse.”

Throughout Monday and Tuesday, Tarr, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, and other local officials reportedly visited the site and promised to provide safe access points to the beach, according to a statement sent to Boston.com.

“Maintaining proper access to Salisbury Beach is imperative for public safety, environmental protection, and the responsible accommodation of those from our region and well beyond who come to enjoy this public resource,” Tarr said in a Wednesday joint statement with Newburyport Representative Dawne Shand, Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington, and Chuck Takesian, Chair of the Salisbury Board of Selectmen.

“Access points 8,9, and 10 are important components of the infrastructure necessary to providing that access, and the loss of them would have serious negative consequences that are unacceptable. Restoring them to use as soon as possible will require collaboration and speedy and effective action to get the job done without delay.”