Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk

The Daily Plant : Thursday, November 14, 2013

Design And Construction Management Teams In Place For Rebuilding Of Rockaway Boardwalk

Preliminary work expected to begin this winter as boardwalk design is now being finalized through ongoing community outreach

NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White and NYC Economic Development Corporation President Kyle Kimball yesterday announced that CH2M HILL has been officially awarded the contract to oversee the design of the new Rockaway boardwalk and Skanska has been selected to manage the boardwalk’s construction. This follows a historic first phase of recovery in which more than 500,000 hours were invested repairing and restoring New York City’s beaches.

Nearly 5 miles of the Rockaway Beach boardwalk, running from Beach 20th Street to Beach 126th Street, will be rebuilt as part of this project. The new boardwalk will be constructed with steel-reinforced concrete and elevated above the 100-year flood plain. A baffle wall will be incorporated into the design and the structure will be bolstered by sand berms planted with native grasses. After the design is completed and regulatory approvals received, boardwalk pre-construction work is expected to begin this winter.

As part of the development of the new boardwalk design, targeted community meetings were held across the Rockaway peninsula to allow the public to provide input and an opportunity to speak directly to the engineers, architects and landscape architects working on this project. During these meetings, community members were invited to participate in focus groups dedicated to coastal protection, boardwalk aesthetics, access, and recreation.

This project also conceives the master plan for the entire length of Rockaway Beach. The plan will contain improvements beyond the current boardwalk and coastal protection projects, including ways to increase access to the beach and improve surrounding parks and recreational facilities, and will be used to provide guidance for long-term work. The conceptual planning process is running concurrent with boardwalk design, with a final plan expected to be complete early next year.

After Hurricane Sandy, wide-ranging work was done to ensure that all of New York City’s damaged swimming beaches were repaired in time for their Memorial Day weekend opening. In Rockaway, this included debris removal and salvage operations, demolition work, repairs to damaged boardwalks, renovation of damaged buildings, replacement of buildings with elevated and storm-resistant models, creation of boardwalk islands around beach amenities, installation of ramps and stairs for beach access, implementation of shoreline protective measures, repairs to playgrounds and other recreational facilities adjacent to the beaches, environmental monitoring, and installation of utilities.

The first phase of work was completed under the direction of NYC Parks, in partnership with many agencies at the city, state and federal levels, including the NYC Department of Design and Construction and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

More information about the restoration of Rockaway Beach and rebuilding of the boardwalk, including upcoming community meetings and steps already taken to provide interim coastal protection, is available at nyc.gov/parks/beach-recovery.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803 - 1882)