Oak Bluffs has received $2 million in state funding to replace the crumbling jetties in its harbor in an effort to improve boater safety while protecting the harbor from the effects of harsh weather.
On Monday, state Sen. Julian Cyr and state Rep. Thomas Moakley met acting Oak Bluffs town administrator Wendy Brough, Oak Bluffs harbormaster Emily deBettencourt and select board members Dion Alley and Tom Hallahan at the harbor to tour the project.
Sen. Cyr said the state’s $2 million contribution was made possible by tax revenue generated by the Massachusetts Fair Share Amendment, which taxes annual incomes over $1 million at 4 per cent. Of those funds, he advocated for $10 million to be earmarked for ferry infrastructure, with at least $2 million going to the Cape and Islands.
“This first $2 million is coming right here to Oak Bluffs,” he said.
Repairing the two crumbling rock jetties that buffer the harbor has been a longstanding priority for Oak Bluffs, though funding to make the changes has been lacking in the past. Voters in 2024 approved $4.7 million to reconstruct the jetties and this money is bolstering that previous funding.
Both Sen. Cyr and Rep. Moakley said that the new infrastructure will support travel to and from the Island. The Oak Bluffs harbor services the Island Queen, Hy-Line, Seastreak and Patriot ferry lines.
“We’re excited for these upgrades here, not only for visitors that come in the summertime, but also for our year-round commuters,” Mr. Moakley said.
With their lights guiding boats into the harbor, jetties are an important way to help boaters see where they’re going and where they should dock. They also provide a protective buffer to shield incoming boaters from the ocean waves. But the existing jetty in the harbor was falling apart and had sunk to the point where it was fully submerged at high tide.
Ms. deBettencourt stressed that a lack of working jetties to help navigate boats into the harbor becomes a safety issue, especially because the lights from buildings on the shore hinder visibility. She noted that vessels have missed the channel before.
“We want to get that extra aid to navigation to increase safety for transportation,” she said.
She also said that the jetties could protect the harbor from the effects of storm surges, especially if an extension off the side of one of the jetties is added in the future.
“[During] a northeast storm, the direction of the waves and the wind are coming right through the harbor,” she explained. “As climate change is advancing, we’ll get huge waves.”
For Ms. deBettencourt, the new infrastructure is a boon to the town and to boaters.
“This is a huge improvement that we’re already benefiting from,” Ms. deBettencourt said.
The work on the jetties is well underway, with one nearly complete. Ms. deBettencourt is optimistic that the job will be done by the end of the month.
The Oak Bluffs harbor initiative isn’t the only benefit the Island is seeing from Fair Share funding, said Mr. Cyr and Mr. Moakley. The latter is spearheading an initiative to use Fair Share funding for increasing access to public transportation for the Vineyard’s aging population.
“We’re continuing to work [on] priorities related to education and transportation,” Rep. Moakley said.
This article appears in April 17, 2026.