Failing Bulkhead Prompts Barn Hill Road Restrictions

CHATHAM – Restrictions were put in place at the Barn Hill town landing Friday after an inspection showed that the bulkhead was failing.

According to a press release from the town, vehicles and other heavy loads can no longer be safely supported within 10 feet of the 89-foot-long bulkhead along the eastern side of the landing parking area. Jersey barriers were placed approximately that distance into the parking lot from the edge of the bulkhead as of Friday morning. 

The restrictions are temporary, according to the press release, while the town assesses short-term stabilization measures. 

Natural Resources Director Greg Berman said officials decided to put the restrictions in place after an inspection by GEI Consultants found extensive corrosion, loss of steel and failure of the wale system, the horizontal structural elements that hold the steel sheeting in place. Together, “that means the bulkhead is no longer capable of safely supporting vehicle loads within 10 feet of the wall,” Berman wrote in an email.

The review was originally part of a broader planning effort to prioritize waterfront projects, he said; the findings will move Barn Hill landing to the top of the list. 

The action taken this week was preventative, he added.

“Fortunately we have not had any accidents or incidents” at the landing, Berman wrote.

The town has already begun reaching out to contractors to implement stabilization measures. A short-term fix, Berman said, involves welding steel plates onto the wales to re-engage the tie-back system. This may be done to a section of the bulkhead to restore some limited vehicle access until the full structure can be replaced.

Funds are available for the emergency work from the town landing capital account. Funds for design and permitting of the replacement bulkhead have been requested from the waterways user fund, and construction money will be sought at the May annual town meeting, according to Berman.

The landing, at the end of Barn Hill Road along the Oyster River, is heavily used by recreational boaters in season and commercial shellfishers and shellfish buyers year round. Berman said users of the landing are being asked to be patient while temporary repairs are made to open at least part of the landing.

“Any loading that requires direct vehicle access to a bulkhead will need to occur at other locations, or be done without bringing a vehicle right up to the wall at Barn Hill,” he said.