Built in 2017, the Salisbury Beach boardwalk is a 625-foot-long oceanfront wooden boardwalk that runs along the beach on Ocean Front South.
The boardwalk starts at the top of Broadway and ends at Ocean Front South, passing by the many beachside bars, restaurants and arcades along the way. It is elevated about six to seven feet up off the street and is supported by wooden piles.
Featuring panoramic views of the ocean, the boardwalk has benches and a deck plaza area with picnic tables covered by an awning where visitors can sit and enjoy the view.
Although the boardwalk was a dream of the Salisbury Beach Partnership for more than two decades, it didn’t become a reality until 2015 when the town received a $923,000 grant from the Mass Seaport Economic Development Council.
The project was also made possible by the 2013 purchase and demolition of the crumbling remains of the Sidewalk Cafe building, which was located at 25 Ocean Front South where the boardwalk now sits, by the State Department of Conservation and Recreation.
When the planning finally got underway, construction bids for the boardwalk came back with higher prices than expected and the town and state legislatures had to ask the council for an additional $213,400.
The boardwalk was built by SPS New England, which is a local construction company owned by Salisbury native Wayne Capolupo.
The Capolupo family also owns many businesses at Salisbury Beach, such as Capri, Seaglass Restaurant and Swell Willey’s.
Construction began in the fall of 2016 and was completed in June of 2017. The boardwalk officially opened to the public in June of 2017, just in time for the summer season.
In 2018, the boardwalk was even featured in a scene in the movie I Feel Pretty, starring Amy Schumer, and several other scenes in the movie were also filmed at the beach, including one inside the Carousel Lounge bar and another in front of the carousel in Salisbury Beach center.
The boardwalk is open year round and is not only a great way to see the beautiful ocean views but is also a great spot to watch the fireworks each Saturday night during the summer months.
In addition to the boardwalk at Salisbury Beach center, the state-owned Salisbury Beach State Reservation also has a boardwalk on the salt marsh near the campground as well as a few boardwalks and walkways that lead over the dunes to the beach.
Sources:
Salisbury Beach Boardwalk Feasibility Study, https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=is+salisbury+beach+a+public+beach
Sullivan, Jim. “Salisbury Goes Hollywood with Filming of Movie.” Eagle Tribune Writer, 14 Aug. 2017, eagletribune.com/news/north_of_boston/salisbury-goes-hollywood-with-filming-of-movie/article_bb51e726-1150-525a-b671-08ff173d34a1.html
Chiaramida, Angeljean. “Polito pleased with progress on Salisbury boardwalk.” Newburyport Daily News, 11 May 2017, newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/polito-pleased-with-progress-on-salisbury-boardwalk/article_b6816680-bc26-5a00-a6de-069001c9f414.html
Chiaramida, Angeljean. “Salisbury Beach boardwalk on horizon; Dream project wins long-awaited funding.” The Eagle-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2015, eagletribune.com/business/salisbury-beach-boardwalk-on-horizon-dream-project-wins-long-awaited-funding/article_7c7f403f-b955-5762-8f71-1e44a878e961.html
Chiaramida, Angeljean. “In Salisbury, Big Demo, Rebuilding Projects Set To Start.” Eagle Tribune, 9 Aug. 2013, eagletribune.com/news/local_news/in-salisbury-big-demo-rebuilding-projects-set-to-start/article_f1d73e2a-4727-52e6-aa40-31f4d72b8e16.html