East Lyme — The Niantic Bay Boardwalk opened in its entirety Wednesday afternoon, marking the completion of a project to rebuild the town's roughly half-mile stretch of walkway.

The town's portion and Amtrak's already rebuilt section together form a 1.1-mile concrete path overlooking Niantic Bay.

Construction began in the summer of 2014 to rebuild a new concrete-and-steel structure, as the existing pathway had been damaged during previous storms.

"This structure is made to last and has been engineered to withstand New England storms," First Selectman Mark Nickerson said in a phone interview Wednesday.

The completion of the boardwalk also restores access to Hole-in-the-Wall Beach, which had only limited access during construction.

Nickerson said the boardwalk project came in within budget.

While the rebuilding of the boardwalk took longer than expected, he said it was built slowly, deliberately and right, with no corners cut.

The town used the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff and a local construction company, Wiese Construction.

Nickerson said there were some snags during construction, including that the boardwalk's 30-foot steel plates kept hitting ledge and rocks while they were being driven into the ground.

There were also material delays, as the project required specialized concrete and custom-made railings, among other materials.

He said the project experienced some additional delays as the town worked with Amtrak, but added that the town is grateful for the partnership.

The only remaining task is to clean up the staging of construction equipment and to rebuild the parking lot at the upper portion of McCook Point Park, Nickerson said. 

The town had received about $4.9 million from insurance and lawsuit settlements, Federal Emergency Management Agency Funds and a Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant to rebuild the boardwalk.

Nickerson announced the boardwalk's opening with a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon, saying, in part: "THE WAIT IS OVER. At long last, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the Niantic Bay Boardwalk is fully open!!!"

k.drelich@theday.com