Newburyport and Newbury Host Public Informational Meeting on the Plum Island Turnpike Feasibility Study for Resiliency Improvements Project
May 23, 2025May 23, 2025
Newburyport and Newbury Host Public Informational Meeting on the Plum Island Turnpike Feasibility Study for Resiliency Improvements Project
PRESS RELEASE May 22, 2025
For Immediate Release
Questions contact: Kristen Grubbs, 978-465-0862 X336 or planningdirector@newburyma.gov OR Jon-Eric White, 978-417-1969 or jewhite@newburyportma.gov
Newburyport and Newbury Host Public Informational Meeting on the Plum Island Turnpike Feasibility Study for Resiliency Improvements Project
The City of Newburyport and the Town of Newbury will host a public informational kickoff meeting for the Plum Island Turnpike Resiliency Feasibility Study Project on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 5:30pm. The meeting will be held in person at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, MA.
The Feasibility Study for Resiliency Improvements for Plum Island Turnpike Project is being conducted by a partnership of the Town of Newbury, the City of Newburyport, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC). The project is funded by a grant received from the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP).
The feasibility study will focus on public access to the island and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge gatehouse during times of flooding events caused by climate change impacts. The work will build on previous preliminary planning and research studies and will identify economically and environmentally sound next steps – in both short and long term – for maintaining access to these important public assets.
Jerrard Whitten, Executive Director of MVPC, states, “This project is a benchmark for community collaboration to improve a critical roadway that will benefit our transportation system and environmental resiliency. Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is excited to see this work advance to ensure access to Plum Island.”
The May 28th meeting will start with a brief presentation in the auditorium by the Project Team to provide an overview of the project, work completed to date, and project schedule. The public is then invited to participate in interactive discussions in the classroom, where maps and graphics of the project area will be available. The discussions will focus on gathering information about what problems currently exist with public access to the Refuge Gatehouse and the Island.
The two communities vetted consulting firms during a designer selection process and chose Tighe & Bond to lead this project. A team of professionals is working with the communities to determine some options for, and impacts of, raising the turnpike, including environmental impacts and mitigation requirements, cost/benefit analysis, permitting requirements, impacts on cross-streets, and alternative design approaches. The project will also include consideration for multimodal infrastructure, such as improved shoulder/edge conditions, lane widening, traffic calming, and emergent solutions for advancing shared streets principles, and different modes of transportation.
The Project Team welcomes all members of the public to share information about what problems currently exist with public access to the Refuge Gatehouse and the Island. Public access will continue to degrade as the seas rise and flooding becomes more commonplace. Please attend the Public Meeting on May 28th, 5:30pm, and let us know your thoughts!
For more information, visit the Project’s webpage:
https://www.townofnewbury.org/planning-board/pages/plum-island-turnpike-feasibility-study-resiliency-improvements-project
Questions please contact Kristen Grubbs, Newbury Planning Director, at 978-465-0862 X336
