Rhode Island seeks federal funds to fix iconic Newport Cliff Walk

Jun 14, 2023, 9:24 AM

FILE - City officials and a private engineering group representatives peer down at debris of a collapsed section of the historic Cliff Walk, March 15, 2022, in Newport, R.I. Gov. Dan McKee issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, that will allow the state Department of Transportation to apply for $10 million in emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island wants federal funds to help pay some of the nearly $14 million it will take to repair Newport’s damaged Cliff Walk, one of New England’s most popular attractions.

Gov. Dan McKee issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday that will allow the state Department of Transportation to apply for $10 million in emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration.

Coastal erosion knocked out about 30 feet (9 meters) of the 3.5-mile (5.6 kilometer) paved trail in March 2022, which winds its way beside Gilded Age mansions and offers spectacular views of the ocean. No one was hurt.

The path sustained additional damage during a December storm.

It remains open with a detour around the damage.

“The collapse and the partial closure could cause significant harm to Newport tourism, a top driver of the local economy,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “The impacted area is now closed because it is at risk of further erosion and collapse, which poses a threat to public safety.”

A study published in 2018 estimated that more than 1.3 million people walk the path annually boosting the local economy by $200 million.

“When I took office at the end of last year I immediately began seeking help to fix the Cliff Walk,” Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong said. “Restoring this iconic American vista for future generations to enjoy will require local, state and federal partnership, which the governor is opening a pathway to with this declaration.”

This is not the first time the state has sought federal funding to repair the Cliff Walk. In 2013, Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse helped secure $5.13 million to make repairs following Superstorm Sandy.

“The federal government should do its part to ensure the safety and sustainability of this national treasure,” Reed said in a statement.

The state estimates comprehensive Cliff Walk repairs could cost up to $13.75 million.

Lifestyle

Associated Press

Russia accuses US of promoting ties between Israel and Arabs before Israeli-Palestinian peace deal

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia accused the United States on Wednesday of promoting Israel’s normalization of relations with Arab nations and circumventing the Arab Peace Initiative launched by Saudi Arabia in 2002, which calls for a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before any diplomatic recognition of Israel. The statement by Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia […]

4 days ago

Associated Press

Winner of $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot claims prize in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The winner of the $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot in August has come forward to claim the prize, officials said Wednesday. Under a new Florida law, the winner’s name remains anonymous for 90 days from the date the prize was claimed, which was on Sept. 25, lottery officials said in […]

4 days ago

Hudson, 7, left, Callahan, 13, middle, and Keegan Pruente, 10, right, stand outside their school on...

Associated Press

More schools are adopting 4-day weeks. For parents, the challenge is day 5

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — It’s a Monday in September, but with schools closed, the three children in the Pruente household have nowhere to be. Callahan, 13, contorts herself into a backbend as 7-year-old Hudson fiddles with a balloon and 10-year-old Keegan plays the piano. Like a growing number of students around the U.S, the Pruente […]

6 days ago

A sign marks a roadside rest stop that has been made to look like the historic security gate that a...

Associated Press

Birthplace of the atomic bomb braces for its biggest mission since the top-secret Manhattan Project

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — Los Alamos was the perfect spot for the U.S. government’s top-secret Manhattan Project. Almost overnight, the ranching enclave on a remote plateau in northern New Mexico was transformed into a makeshift home for scientists, engineers and young soldiers racing to develop the world’s first atomic bomb. Dirt roads were hastily […]

8 days ago

Associated Press

Correction: High Speed Rail-Florida story

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — In a story published Sept. 22, 2023, about the start of high-speed passenger train service between Miami and Orlando, The Associated Press erroneously referred to someone struck and killed by a Brightline train. The victim was a pedestrian, not a passenger.

9 days ago

FILE - Confetti flies as Dearborn mayor candidate Abdullah Hammoud prepares to speak to supporters ...

Associated Press

Census shows 3.5 million Middle Eastern residents in US, Venezuelans fastest growing Hispanic group

The United States had 3.5 million residents who identify as Middle Eastern or North African, Venezuelans were the fastest-growing Hispanic group last decade and Chinese and Asian Indians were the two largest Asian groups, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The most detailed race and ethnicity data to date from the 2020 census was released […]

11 days ago