Erosion prompts closing of staircase from Block Island's Mohegan Bluffs to beach

Access to one of the most beautiful beaches on Block Island is limited because the bottom of a staircase leading from Mohegan Bluffs down to the beach has been closed due to damage from erosion.

Erosion has caused a large drop at the base of the stairs to the beach below, the town of New Shoreham and the state Department of Environmental Management announced Friday afternoon.

The staircase will be closed until further notice, the announcement said.

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The staircase's 141 steps lead down to the sand from the bluffs. The overlook at the top of the bluffs, the parking lot and the top of the stairs remain open, the town and state agency said. The staircase will be closed until further notice, the announcement said.

"Some people say the beach at the base of the 200-foot tall Mohegan Bluffs is the most beautiful on the island, harboring a secluded, if rocky, place to swim and surf," the Block Island Tourism Council says on its website.

The clay bluffs, on the island's southeast coast, "offer one of the most dramatic views of the Atlantic in all of Rhode Island, and a vista that can extend all the way to Montauk on the tip of Long Island," the tourism council says.

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DEM Director Terry Gray said, "Rhode Island’s coastal communities are increasingly contending with sea level rise, flooding, and erosion due to the impacts of climate change. We hope that those wishing to take in the dramatic view of the Atlantic from the overlook will understand that the bottom of the staircase must be closed because accessibility starts with safety."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Access limited from Block Island's Mohegan Bluffs to beach