Revised plans for the new East Bay Bike Path bridges include two new public fishing spots — one on the Barrington River and the other on the Palmer River. 

The revised plans — released with a recent public notice by the Rhode Island Department of Transportion — call for a permanent bulkhead to be built on the western side of the Palmer River. The bulkhead would feature a rip-rap bank and be located near the bike path intersection with Sowams Road.

The plans also include a fishing pier on the eastern side of the Barrington River near the bike path intersection with New Meadow Road. The plans call for a 34-foot fixed pier and a 24-foot “terminal T.”

The revised plans also show a new bridge pier that would be constructed in the middle of the Barrington River channel to support the new bike path bridge. 

According to the public notice, the projects for the two new East Bay Bike Path bridges will require some special exceptions and variances from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.

A date for the public hearing has not been set. An official with the CRMC said the meeting will not be in March. 

Work stalls

Work on the new East Bay Bike Path bridges hit a snag last fall. CRMC officials listed a series of concerns about the bike path bridge design and called for some answers before issuing the variance or special exceptions. 

During an Oct. 24 meeting, members of the Coastal Resources Management Council spoke about the width of the bridges, potential problems for people fishing off the bridges, and the increased tidal currents due to the removal of the old bridge pilings. 

Officials said the new bridges are narrower — the new bridges are expected to be 14 feet wide, while the old trestle bridges were 18 feet wide. CRMC members said the four-foot difference could pose problems for fishermen. 

The design calls for two-foot-wide sidewalks, instead of the previous four-foot-wide sidewalks, and that is not enough room for people fishing from the bike path bridges, CRMC members said. In addition, the sidewalks will not be elevated, as they were with the previous bridges.

CRMC staff also had concerns about the lack of clearance between fishermen and those riding or walking across the bike path bridges.