Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Road Repairs Underway

The road that leads up to the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge has been closed since Hurricane Sandy. Work has began to open the road.

Officials announced work to open the road that leads up the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge has begun.  The road has been closed since concrete slabs washed up during Hurricane Sandy last October. Although officials previously announced the refuge would be open by the end of January 2013, winter weather delayed the project. There are no official estimates of when the refuge will be open, but a Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) official said the project to clear the road should take approximately a month. “We are grateful to our state and federal partners for helping us restore access to this vital natural resource that was virtually cut off after Hurricane Sandy,” Governor Lincoln D. Chafee said. “When all is said …

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Sachuest Wildlife Refuge Opening Delayed

Bad weather has delayed the re-opening of the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge

In December, officials announced they hoped to re-open Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge by the end of January 2013, however recent winter storms has delayed the work.  A new date has not been released.  The refuge was closed due to unsafe and hazardous conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy. The high surf created unstable banks and washed up concrete slabs on Sachuest Point Road, which left it impassable.  “Unfortunately we will be unable to reopen the refuge to the public until the road is repaired because our current 4-wheel drive access roads are not adequate for emergency response if necessary,” said Sarah Lang, Volunteer Coordinator with the refuge.  Lang added the contract to repair the road has been awarded by the The Rhode …

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5 Things To Know Today

Wednesday: City Council Meeting and Community Forum on Haiti

A look at what's happening in and around Newport today.

St. Michael’s Country Day School is holding an Open House for prospective students from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center will host a Community Forum on “Resiliency in Haiti: The Power of Hope” at 6 p.m. The forum will feature three local women, Gail Alofsin, Colleen Hopkins, and Kate Whitney Lucey who have all volunteered in Haiti both before and after the devastating earthquake through the Haitian Health Foundation and who will discuss what has been done and what still needs to be done. The Newport City Council will hold a regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge will host Nature’s Still Life, an …

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