The fix seemed easy enough – trucking in some fill and repairing a foot bridge and the causeway at Salter Grove Park would provide a safe means for fishermen and others to access the Pawtuxet Cove breakwater.

The Friends of Salter Grove advocates the improvements along with other upgrades to the park on Narragansett Parkway, including an improved playground and restroom facilities.

But work on the causeway isn’t turning out as simple as it first appeared.

“We have conducted some preliminary evaluations of the data and have found that the existing elevation of the causeway is lower than we had previously anticipated. There is tidal exchange that is currently happening between the north and south coves, and to raise the elevation of the causeway will require a substantial amount of fill and impact to the existing area,” Lisa Primiano, chief of the Division of Planning and Development at the Department of Environmental Management, said in an email.

Primiano said the elevation poses questions about permitting for the work and construction.

“We have scheduled a meeting with the city to re-group and discuss other potential ways forward,” she wrote. A meeting between city and DEM officials is planned for today.

Rep. Joseph McNamara is hopeful causeway repairs will move forward. He notes the park is close to urban areas and within easy access for city dwellers for saltwater fishing and to walk along the bay.

Two sections of the causeway, however, are submerged during high tides, requiring those on the breakwater to wade, even swim in extreme cases, in order to return to the park and dry land. The concern is for the safety of children and adults who might lose their footing and be swept into deeper waters by the tidal flow between the north and south coves.

Eric Robles was one of those who have been “trapped” on the breakwater by high tides. He was on the breakwater Sunday afternoon with Erica Gonzales enjoying the breeze. Robles said he has been visiting the breakwater for the last 28 years, most of the time to fish.

“It can be dangerous when the tide comes in. You can’t see [in the water] where you’re walking and you can slip,” he said.

Also on the breakwater Sunday were Walter Cook and Mitchell Folco. They had caught a few skipjacks and were hoping to tie into some bigger blues at the Pawtuxet Village bridge.

“What they had was fine,” Cook said of the bridge, “but they should have tied it down.”

Cook was concerned by the amount of trash on the breakwater and said he planned to return and help clean up the mess, which is particularly bad on the southern extension of the breakwater.

The steel girders to the bridge that once offered safe passage have been swept from their foundations and sections of decking are gone. McNamara had hoped to have the state repair the bridge as well as fill a section of the causeway at a culvert that has washed out.

McNamara is also looking to address other issues raised by the friends of the park. He is exploring the feasibility of composting toilets, which he suggests could be a project for YouthBuild Providence, a program for youths at risk of dropping out of high school.

“That’s a major concern there,” McNamara said of the lack of restrooms. “They go in the woods and on the trails, there’s a need [for facilities].”

McNamara said there is also a need to “update” playground equipment.

“The safety aspect is problematic,” Jason Major said of the causeway.

A member of the Friends group, Major cited the need for regular park cleanups in addition to restrooms and improvements to the playground. He noted that the Friends, along with assistance from Save The Bay and volunteers from Alex & Ani, conducted a park cleanup in May.

Major said the Friends group has received a $1,000 “seed grant” from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. He said the money will be used to help educate people on the importance of keeping the park clean through social media, photography, and other means, “stuff to connect to the community.”

Peter Becker, coordinator of the Friends, said he and his wife took an informal survey of park usage during the Victory Day holiday Aug. 8. He said that the breakwater won the popularity award “hands down.” He noted that the breakwater was built with the flat side of rock face up so as to facilitate walking.

Safety is his concern, too.

“It’s a simple matter to get the causeway elevated enough to walk safely,” he said.

Becker believes the process of taking the corrective action has become far more protracted than expected.