Rockaway Beach
Is Back
Image via Pixabay
New York’s largest beach will fully reopen thanks to restoration project
TBy Bill Parry he dredging operation that will restore
the sand along a popular stretch of
Rockaway Beach got underway in April
with work vessels moving into position in
the East Rockaway Inlet.
The sand that is dredged during
needed maintenance in the navigation channel will
pump the sand two and a half miles farther west
where bulldozers are waiting to replenish the sand
from Beach 92nd to Beach 103rd streets. The city
was forced to close the popular stretch last year
just days ahead of the summer swim season due to
beach erosion that had created unsafe conditions
for beachgoers.
“It’s happening! Equipment is on the move, and
work is starting that will restore the previously
closed stretch of Rockaway Beach in time for
summer,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “The summer
wouldn’t be the same for the community and for
families across the city without this work.”
The city secured a $13.4 million investment
from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the
Parks Department to move 300,000 cubic yards of
sand into the eroded stretch.
The submersible pipes are being installed
in the ocean from East Rockaway Inlet west to
Beach 87th Street, where the pipeline will come
out of the Atlantic at Beach 88th Street. Dredging
commenced on April 8 and barring severe spring
storms, work will be completed before June 1,
which is the beginning of hurricane season.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ equipment
is a welcome sight for the community eager to have
this key stretch of Rockaway Beach open in time
for the season,” Congressman Gregory Meeks
said. “Last year’s nor’easters were devastating
for Rockaway, not just for beachgoers, but the
businesses who make their year’s income during
the summer months. By restoring the sand and
moving forward with final approvals for erosion
controls and flood reductions, we are not just
restoring Rockaway, we’re reinforcing it.”
The closure last summer hurt restaurants and
bars in the neighborhood such as Connolly’s,
Community House, Thai Rock, Uma’s and
Bungalow Bar.
“Having sand brought into Rockaway Beach
from the East Rockaway dredging will be a major
boost for not only the stretch of beaches that
were closed last summer due to erosion, but for
Rockaway residents, businesses and tourists
as well,” state Senator Joseph Addabbo said. “I
look forward to long-term solutions to protect the
people and businesses of Rockaway from future
storms.”
In 2013, the Army Corps of Engineers placed 3.5
million cubic yards of sand on Rockaway Beach
following Superstorm Sandy but infrastructure
was never constructed to keep it in place and
most of the sand was swept away during coastal
storms. The Corps is currently in the process of
receiving final approvals from its headquarters for
the Rockaway & Jamaica Bay Reevaluation Report.
This report will authorize the construction, at
100 percent Federal cost, of new erosion control
features such as jetties to keep the sand in place.
From the well-known Rockaway Beach boardwalk to the historic Jacob Riis Park and the secluded Fort
Tilden Beach, the Rockaway Peninsula has a patch of sand for everyone, and its future is secure once again.
Image via NYC Parks
QNS.COM
16 SUMMER 2019
/QNS.COM