Essex Causeway (Woodman's Landing)

Every day, 1,600 residents and visitors alike drive past Woodman’s restaurant on Route 133, known as the Main Street Causeway.^{1 2} The Causeway, owned by Mass Highway, is the heart of Essex’s downtown, and a critical connective corridor between east and west Essex. It is also a key link between Cape Ann and the greater North Shore and Boston. The Causeway crosses the Essex River, which is part of the vulnerable Great Marsh ecosystem. While the highway is a critical piece of infrastructure, it also restricts the flow of water and sediment through the marsh.³

In addition to the changing marsh ecosystem, the roadway itself floods intermittently at twelve-foot high tides and during nor’easters, causing property damage and roadway closures.^{4 5} The highway was elevated by eight inches in 2012, the maximum height allowed without creating an undue burden for businesses.^{6 7} The bridge across the Essex River is currently being repaired as of 2021.

Despite these improvements, the Causeway is expected to flood daily at high tide by 2050.⁸ This flooding will become more frequent due to sea level rise, which will exacerbate mean high tides and increase storm surge height as well as the frequency of coastal flooding that cuts off access to businesses along the Causeway. Increasing erosion along the Essex River will further threaten the Essex commercial downtown, potentially causing damage to buildings and the roadway.⁹

Intermittent Causeway flooding is a public safety issue. Emergency services, including fire and police services, are cut off during tidal and storm-driven flooding. The town’s alternative evacuation route, Apple Street, is also subject to flooding. This requires major adjustments to the regional transportation corridor as the Essex Causeway becomes increasingly unreliable for residents and tourists.¹⁰