Baxter Estates shoreline project advances as town OKs plan for wooden boardwalk

A plan to fortify Baxter Estates' shoreline advanced after North Hempstead gave the village permission to build a wooden boardwalk over Manhasset Bay.

The eroding shoreline at the beach at Baxter Estates has led to years of flooding on Shore Road, one of Port Washington’s main thoroughfares. In July, the state awarded $7.7 million to restore the shoreline.

The agreement with the town will allow Baxter Estates access to town-owned land as part of the project to strengthen the shoreline along Manhasset Bay.

A concept design calls for building a timber boardwalk with an overlook and bench over Manhasset Bay, town documents show. The town owns the land under the bay, according to a town board resolution.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shoreline hardening or "armoring" involves the addition of human-made structures that protect against severe storm surges. Such structures can include rip rap or walls made of steel or concrete, according to NOAA.

The board voted unanimously to approve the agreement last month during its meeting on Oct. 29.

“This is something I have been working on for 10 years,” Baxter Estates Mayor Nora Haagenson said before the vote. “To be able to do this with the town means a great deal not only to our village, but to everyone really in Port Washington.”

More than 8,000 cars travel across Shore Road every day. But in recent years, coastal erosion has led to frequent road closures. And in July, Nassau County public works officials discovered damage to a section of the seawall that props up the road, officials have said.

Haagenson declined to disclose what shape the shoreline restoration will take.

But the design plan includes an overlook on the timber boardwalk, as well as a bench, railing and lighting. There would also be a revetment, or a retaining wall, on the shoreline, along with plantings in the tidal salt marsh. Salt marshes serve as a buffer during intense storms, helping to absorb the shock of ocean waves.

Christine Liu, a town councilwoman, praised Haagenson for pursuing the project.

“Thank you for not giving up, and for trucking forward with it,” Liu said at the board meeting. “Now we see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.