BOSTON — The Department of Fish & Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) has selected two road-stream crossings in Gloucester and West Newbury for future ecological restoration studies. These culvert replacement sites were chosen due to their vulnerability to coastal erosion, flooding, and future sea-level rise. Currently crossing freshwater streams, these culverts are expected to become tidal as sea levels rise—a transition that presents significant challenges for road infrastructure. DER is funding and managing future studies at these sites to help municipalities, nearby landowners, and partners identify and overcome technical challenges and plan for ecological restoration and climate adaptation. 

“Ecological restoration provides innumerable benefits—projects like this will improve public safety, build resilience to sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and mitigate flooding, and restore water quality and wildlife habitat,” said Department of Fish & Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea. “By supporting municipalities and partners, we can scale our efforts to steward a biodiverse and climate-ready future.”  

“DER looks forward to helping these two communities evaluate and plan for sea level rise while building resilient, fish-friendly road-stream crossings,” said Division of Ecological Restoration Director Beth Lambert. “Culvert upgrades and other nature-based solutions can be technically challenging and costly for our municipalities to pursue alone. State-municipal partnerships like this are key to successful implementation of ecological restoration and climate adaptation projects.” 

The following priority sites have been selected by DER for preliminary design studies: 

Concord Street Culvert, Gloucester 

The Concord Street Culvert is located along a tributary of Walker Creek in Gloucester. The culvert is currently impacted by coastal storms and is at increased risk for erosion and flooding. Replacing the culvert with a structure of resilient design will address flood water retention and bank stabilization and sedimentation, improve fish passage and wildlife habitat, and increase climate resilience by preparing for sea level rise, storm surge, and coastal marsh migration. 

River Road Culvert, West Newbury  

The River Road Culvert in West Newbury is located on an unnamed stream off the Merrimack River. This crossing currently faces challenges with flooding and erosion and has the potential to be heavily influenced by increased storm events and sea level rise in the future. Conducting models of the way water moves at the site and investigating potential ecological improvements through restoration will enable a systematic approach to improving infrastructure and natural resource resiliency. 

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