Boardwalk Built To Protect, Provide Access At Beverly Alt Reservation

BEVERLY, MA — The 1.6 miles of trails on the 62-acre Alt Reservation in Beverly are now more accessible and sustainable following the construction of a 50-foot boardwalk above a stretch of the stream, vegetation and wildlife habitat.

The Essex County Greenbelt Stewardship built the boardwalk using black locust lumber, which is an exceptionally durable lumber that should last 15 to 20 years — double the expected lifetime of pressure-treated wood.

"Black locust is an invasive tree that grows in this area and its wood is more environmentally friendly than other types of lumber," said Dave McKinnon, Greenbelt's Land Manager and Trails Coordinator, who spearheaded the project. "Pressure-treated wood has chemicals that leach into the soil and can damage the landscape."

The boardwalk took about nine months to complete from design to finish with the actual construction lasting about two weeks.

"There are just so many variables in a project like this," McKinnon said. "You drive in the posts, and they start to twist and suddenly that changes how the boards are angled. So, a lot of decisions are made in real time. It was definitely a team effort; we spent a lot of time bouncing ideas off each other and problem-solving."

The boardwalk is 3 feet wide to accommodate a wheelchair or stroller, ramped at both ends, and spaced in a way that won't pose a hazard to children.

The boardwalk also allows light to shine through to keep the wildlife and vegetation below healthy.

The Greenbelt Stewardship team also created a small parking lot on the Alt Reservation property in 2023. They have also built similar sustainable boardwalks using black locust lumber at Arthur Ewell Reservation in Rowley and Woodland Acres in Rockport.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached @Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)