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Revere staff outline Bennington Street berm and seawall options to protect Beachmont area
Summary
City staff briefed the planning board on a MassDOT-funded resiliency project that would raise Bennington Street about six feet, build berms and consider a seawall to protect Beachmont School, Fredericks Park, the VFW and MBTA Blue Line infrastructure; MassDOT will hold future public hearings as design advances.
Frank, a City of Revere staff member, briefed the Revere City Planning Board on July 29 about a multi-jurisdictional flood-resiliency project that would elevate Bennington Street, construct adjoining berms and consider seawall segments to protect the Beachmont neighborhood.
Frank said the preferred plan would elevate Bennington Street roughly six feet from Leverett Avenue in Boston north toward Revere Beach. The raised roadway would require a berm along the marsh side; a multipurpose walkway and bike path would be constructed on top of the berm to tie into MassDOT's bike path plans. The project is being co-sponsored by Boston and Revere, and Frank said MassDOT has agreed to fund the design and will take the project forward as a resiliency effort.
Frank described the berm alignment as protecting the MBTA Blue Line tracks, the Beachmont School, Fredericks Park, the VFW and the Howell Long pump station. To reduce impact on the VFW's parking, the city proposed granting the VFW an easement on school property for replacement parking; Frank said the plan would increase the VFW's parking from 72 to 78 spaces under one option.
Because Belle Isle Marsh is an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Frank said environmental regulators favor "nature-based" solutions such as vegetated berms and have concerns about hard structures. The city is evaluating a hybrid approach that would use a vegetated berm where feasible and a sheet-pile or steel-sheathed seawall in locations where a berm would significantly affect parking or residential properties.
Board members asked whether a seawall would be concrete or steel; Frank said seawall construction could include a concrete structure with steel sheeting in front. He also addressed concerns that constructing berms would merely push water onto adjacent neighborhoods, calling that a common question and saying storm surge and sea-level rise "seek their elevation" across the coastline rather than simply being displaced locally.
Frank said the team has completed a feasibility study and will proceed to 25% and 75% design phases. MassDOT will hold public hearings during design; the city has already begun some outreach, including meetings about frequent flooding on Pearl Avenue. Frank characterized the project as long-term and costly, estimating a multiyear timetable ("probably a 5 to 10 year window if at all") and saying the work could cost in the "hundreds of millions" of dollars.
No formal board action was taken on the item; planning board members asked to be kept informed as MassDOT advances design and schedules public hearings.
