If you went over on the Chappy Ferry this past early week around the time of high tide, you would have driven through up to half a foot of saltwater getting on or off of the ferry on the Edgartown side. Even though Sunday was a pretty quiet day wind-wise, the harbor spilled out over its usual limiting barriers. Monday, the northeast gusts topped 40 knots and drove the water inland twice again farther.

There is a plan in the works to address the issue in the short term. That plan is to raise the pavement at the base of the Edgartown ramp by six inches. That will at least reduce the number of days that foot passengers will get their shoes wet. Some of the regulars now wear rubber boots whenever going in to town on foot. One particularly brave couple removed their footgear and waded through the very cold water. They then had nice dry shoes and socks to put back on.

The six inches is not a number picked out of thin air. It’s the difference between the elevation of the Chappy ramp base and the Edgartown ramp base. When the water is half a foot deep on the town side, which is lower, you won’t get your feet wet on the Chappy side. That can be disappointing to someone parking their car at the Point who figures that sneakers are the right choice that day.

The ramps themselves are identical in length. We figured that if the system works on the Chappy side, then it should still work on the Edgartown side if it gets raised to the same elevation. So that’s what is going to happen this spring. Six inches of new asphalt will be added to the surface of the existing pavement at the base of the town ramp and tapered up Dock and Daggett streets. The hinge of the ramp will be adjusted upward to match the new asphalt.

This project will require some midday down time for vehicle traffic on the ferry. As soon as a date is known, I’ll endeavor to give you plenty of warning. Two separate days will likely be required to perform the work.

Long-range options are being studied for addressing sea level rise across the whole waterfront. Even if you are undecided about who is to blame for global warming, there is no doubt that the sea comes farther ashore more often these days.