Near Newport’s mansions, access battle is measured in inches
NEWPORT, R.I. — The Cliff Walk has been a Newport public thoroughfare for hundreds of years, and today it’s one of Rhode Island’s biggest tourist draws. Every year, an estimated 750,000 people stroll or hike the path that runs between the Atlantic Ocean and mansions owned by members of America’s moneyed class.
Now, a homeowner at one end of the 3.5-mile route is under fire for putting up a fence that a city commission said encroaches about 15 to 18 inches onto the walk.