Construction is slated to start this week to rebuild the Rockaway boardwalk from Beach 86th to Beach 97th Street — a stretch that was destroyed in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy.
Crews will fence off the area and start demolishing some of the concrete piles as early as Monday, and the first section could be completed by Memorial Day 2015, First Deputy Parks Commissioner Liam Kavanagh told The News.
“We’re trying to get the project done as quickly as possible,” said Kavanagh. “Our goal is to have the first phase completed for next Memorial Day (in 2015).”
Plans for the new boardwalk have been delayed multiple times since the October 2012 tragedy as the city sought permit approvals and volleyed with residents over designs.
The piles became a symbol of the storm’s wrath when large swaths of the wood walkway — a central Rockaway hub and a barrier from the roaring Atlantic Ocean — were destroyed.
Kavanagh said the pilings likely date back the 1920s before the citywide Parks Department was established. Once they’re removed, new pilings will be driven into the ground.
“The contractor is prepared to have a very stringent monitoring plan to make sure the vibrations are not causing any problems,” said Kavanagh of the noisy process.
Crews will confine the ear-splitting work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, weather permitting. Make-up work may be scheduled for some Saturdays if needed. If pile driving goes as planned, it will be completed in about two months, followed by placement of a new concrete boardwalk.
By the summer, the city hopes to begin work on another stretch from Beach 97th St. to Beach 106th St.
Beachlovers will still get a chance to enjoy the shore even during construction. “It is our goal to maintain access to the street at five locations,” Kavanagh said.
Access points include the boardwalk island at Beach 97th St. as well as entrances at Beach 88, 90, 92 and 94th Sts.
John Cori, who lives in the middle of the construction zone, said he is relieved to see work on the long-awaited project, which he had hoped would start by April 1.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Cori, who co-founded Friends of Rockaway Beach. “But I am still concerned about the rebuilding of the parks along the beach.”
Construction begins less than two weeks after Greg Clancy, the city Economic Developement Corp official who oversaw the boardwalk rebuilding project, stepped down to join his former boss, Seth Pinsky, at RXR Realty. Clancy had handled several contentious public meetings about the project and served as the point person for other city agencies.