East Lyme - While beachgoers relaxed on the sandy shore or sat on benches at McCook Point Park on Thursday, a project was underway nearby to rebuild the town's portion of the Niantic Bay Boardwalk.

The boardwalk design calls for a reconstructed concrete pathway, with a steel bulkhead, that will form, along with Amtrak's existing walkway, a 1.1 mile path along Niantic Bay.

Within a fenced-in area at McCook Point Park on Thursday, construction workers operated equipment to break up and crush a pile of concrete to later use as fill for the boardwalk.

A fence also blocked off an access route, stretching from the park along a portion of Hole-in-the-Wall Beach, to the public. Workers will broaden and strengthen the road to transport materials during construction, said First Selectman Paul Formica. During construction, Hole-in-the-Wall will stay open and safety personnel will monitor the area, he said.

The work, which began within the past two weeks, is slated to wrap up in late spring of 2015.

Steel sheet piles for the boardwalk will be on site within 4 to 6 weeks, and workers are expected to begin pouring concrete for the structure in the late fall, said Formica.

The town has $4.9 million to rebuild the boardwalk from insurance and lawsuit settlements, Federal Emergency Management Agency Funds and a Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant. The town has hired Wiese Construction, a local company, to build the structure.

Amtrak is also making an in-kind contribution to the project and will provide safety personnel to monitor the tracks during construction.

Beyond the boardwalk, the town has additional plans for the waterfront area. The town is applying for grants to install six to 12 transient moorings and dinghy docks near Cini Park, according to Formica and town engineer Bill Scheer.

Now that the replacement of the Niantic River railroad bridge has created wider channel access, town officials hope to install these new features to attract boaters to town, rather than having them leave for Block Island or Long Island.

"It'll make it more of a destination place," said Formica about the town.

k.drelich@theday.com