East Lyme — A plan to replace the fencing along railroad tracks in Niantic has been pushed off by Amtrak due to concerns raised by residents, business owners and politicians that the proposed design doesn't do enough to preserve Main Street's unique views.

Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said the project, initially slated to begin in late February, won't happen until later this year.

"We are continuing to have discussions with East Lyme about fencing Amtrak property," he said. The project spans from the Niantic River Bridge abutment to just short of Hole in the Wall Beach.

First Selectman Kevin Seery said Amtrak's northeast region senior manager for government affairs told him the replacement won't happen until this summer or possibly the fall. He said he was assured the railroad company wants to work together on a solution and is open to different fencing options.

A photo provided to Seery and public works Deputy Director Bill Scheer by the railroad company in January showed the original plan was to put in an 8-foot-tall, black metal fence with thick, narrowly spaced pickets that curve at the top. The intent is to deter trespassers and mitigate fatality risk, according to Amtrak.

The majority of the fencing currently consists of 7-foot-tall chain link without a top rail, Seery has said.

Those opposed to the project are afraid the proposed pickets will obstruct the view more than the chain link fencing currently in place. Seery and Main Street merchants who have reached out to him expressed concerns about the same type of fence showing up recently along a nature preserve in Stonington.

East Lyme officials also want to make sure the project will not affect a newer section of black, chain link fencing installed in 2018 when the former Mobil gas station site was turned into a park where Pennsylvania Avenue meets Main Street.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent a March 11 letter to Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner asking the company to look at multiple design options and to engage the community in the process.

"I have heard from local officials, business, and residents concerned that the proposed fencing will obstruct views of the Niantic Bay and Long Island Sound," Blumenthal wrote. "These views have great community significance. Niantic has one of the longest stretches of unobstructed view on a main street on the eastern seaboard, and the area was selected for use in a 1979 movie because of the track's water view."

The movie was "Disaster on the Coastliner," which debuted on ABC in 1979 with Lloyd Bridges and William Shatner among its stars.

Blumenthal noted safety is a key priority and said any instances of unauthorized access to the tracks are too many.

East Lyme police Chief Mike Finkelstein said officers responded to two calls in 2020, two in 2021 and one so far this year for reports of trespassing on the track. The most recent case involved three teenage girls who made their way onto the tracks in the area of McCook Point Park, which is outside the fence replacement area.

Blumenthal told Amtrak he understood the need for barriers but said he was "concerned about Amtrak's reluctance to engage with the Niantic community to install fencing that reduces trespassing on the tracks and suits the community's needs."

e.regan@theday.com