Thursday, March 05, 2015

Birch Bay - Part Two




Another post from Birch Bay, this one a little farther north along Birch Bay Drive. Unlike the residential section in the previous post, here the road follows the beach, the development is landward of the road, and the beach is both public and accessible. Unfortunately, the roadway itself and subsequent erosion has left little of the original backshore and the upper beach is littered with old seawalls, riprap, and a long series of concrete groins. It's a mess.




In the 1970s, Wolf Bauer (who just celebrated his 103rd birthday) proposed an ambitious gravel berm and enhanced public right-of-way along this stretch. Now, 40 years later, a somewhat scaled back version may actually get built. Funding has been found, plans have been drawn up, and maybe in a couple of years we'll get a new beach, a big boost for the community, and a road that doesn't get pummeled with gravel every time a storm comes through.

AERIAL VIEW

Previous posts:
March 2010
March 2009



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