When Bristol Town Administrator Steve Contente walked into his meeting with wetland biologist Scott Hobson on Wednesday, July 10, he already knew construction of the proposed Wood Street Extension through public, undeveloped land would pose its fair share of permitting challenges.

What he did not see coming, however, was how, nearly 30 years later, global sea level rise would serve as a major obstacle for the construction plans aiming to connect Wood Street northbound to Chestnut Street — one that would come at an $18 million price tag.

“That wasn’t something I was expecting,” Mr. Contente admitted.

With the University of Rhode Island currently projecting a 3- to 5-foot increase in sea levels, however, Mr. Contente was told that construction would now require an 850-foot bridge to be built over wetlands in order to properly address climate concerns — making it, as a result, an incredibly costly project, without the support of federal funding.

Those updates led to a lukewarm reception by Bristol town councilors, who — despite saying they were willing to keep looking into it — also expressed their fair share of concerns about pursuing the project further during their meeting July 17. Vice chairman Tim Sweeney was uneasy about how the Wood Street Extension would ultimately impact the environment, while both Aaron Ley and Tony Teixeira were doubtful about its overall feasibility.

“If it was doable (in the ’90s), it would have already been done,” Mr. Teixeira said.

Mr. Contente, however, felt it would be unwise for the town to toss the project aside so early in the process. He argued that the goal would be to improve the area, not worsen it, and that financing the project was difficult but still doable.

Not only that, but while the Wood Street Extension would not solve the immediate congestion concerns involving the Silver Creek Bridge’s closure next summer (Department of Public Works director Kevin McBride said a fast-track situation is unlikely), it could serve as an alternative, long-term solution, considering how susceptible Hope Street is to sea level rise.

“It’s important to the town, it’s important to the businesses,” Mr. Contente said. “I think we should keep it as an ongoing project.”

Councilors voted to receive and file his updates, promising that if any new information or developments emerged, proper dialogue with community members would take place first before any decision would be made.