The University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus is currently in phase one of its construction plans to rebuild the pier, add a new ocean robotics laboratory and complete site work across the campus.
On May 8, 2023, the campus hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new pier. The pier was renovated to accommodate a larger ship and sea rise, according to the coordinator of facilities operations, Scott Ahern.
“This represents a 5.35-foot increase over the old pier deck elevation, corresponding with the most up-to-date sea level rise projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” the Narragansett Bay Campus’ master plan said.
The new ship, named Narragansett Dawn, will replace the current ship called the Endeavor, Ahern said. The ship’s construction has been delayed seven months.
Narragansett Dawn will be 10 feet longer and one deck taller than the Endeavor, Christopher Armanetti, the Endeavor’s shipmaster, said.
A new building was built on the pier for research and sampling, according to Ahern.
The Bay Campus will also welcome a new ocean robotics laboratory in the coming years. The lab is being built where a parking lot for the campus used to be.
The equipment at the ocean robotics laboratory will work with the Narragansett Dawn and have the ability to launch and recover scientific equipment while the vessel is at sea, according to the Narragansett Bay Campus’ master plan.
A 10-ton bridge crane will be built in the staging area of the lab, according to the master plan. The building will also have labs with specialized utilities, offices, an incubator site and mechanical and clean shops.
Following the destruction of the other parking lot, a new parking lot has been built along Pier Road at the West edge of campus, according to the master plan. The parking lot offers charging stations for electric vehicles.
Plans to update the campus’ Rhode Island Public Transport Authority bus stop are also in works, Ahern said.
The Narragansett Bay Campus has also started a community garden that both students and staff can contribute to, Ahern said. Students received help from the maintenance staff in setting up the garden and getting it irrigated.
The garden, which was built in 2019, is on a first-come first-serve basis, Ahern said. The garden provides students with an area where they can compost.
As of Sept. 17, 12 beds are occupied and about 24 people are gardening in it, according to Ahern.
“We are really proud of it,” Ahern said.
Following the completion of phase one, more construction will be done to replace outdated facilities and add new buildings, according to the master plan. One of these structures is the Ocean Frontiers building, which will be built where the Horn Laboratories presently stands. The new building will have laboratory spaces that will be up-to-date with current research needs.
The Ocean Frontiers building plan exceeds the available funds, so the exact plans for the building are still a work-in-progress, according to the master plan. The architects designing it are working to match available funds. The campus also aims to construct a new ocean engineering complex to replace the current facilities.
As phase one of the Narragansett Bay Campus construction continues, students in the URI Graduate School of Oceanography can look forward to the new facilities and resources that will come with it.