Newport to seek more federal money for Cliff Walk repairs

 By The Associated Press

news@abc6.com

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) _ Newport is asking for more money from Washington to fix the Cliff Walk, the state’s most visited tourist site.

About $347,000 would come from federal disaster relief funds set aside after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and would repair the nearby trail’s stone-and-mortar foundation.

A project has removed sections of sidewalks destroyed by the storm, filled empty areas and built concrete sidewalks.

The $3.2-million original contract increased by another $2 million for repairs and installing a wall.

Scott Wheeler, Newport‘s buildings and grounds supervisor, says workers found damage to the trail’s stone-and-mortar foundation was greater than first believed.

The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission must agree that the intended work has a historic basis.

© The Associated Press / WLNE-TV 2015