Closing Bell: No Timetable for Rockaway Beach Boardwalk Repairs

Although the city just released plans to restore and improve the Rockaway Beach boardwalk, damaged by Sandy, there is no timetable and and no plans to build up a protective seawall. DNAinfo attended a community board meeting last night, in which the city presented plans for the $200 million restoration project. FEMA previously recommended constructing a seawall — which would lower the new home-elevation requirements, as well as the cost of flood insurance — but it was not included in preliminary designs. Instead, the city proposed baffle walls and TrapBags along the beach. They also proposed to elevate the boardwalk and place rocks, fill, grasses and vegetation underneath to protect it against a storm surge. Residents expressed anger that the city couldn’t offer an actual timeline for these improvements, and felt a vulnerability to any future storms. The city hopes to begin working on the boardwalk by the end of the year.

No Timetable for $200M Repairs to Rockaway Boardwalk, Parks Says [DNAinfo]
Photo by scarlatti2004