By Bill Parry
Rockaway got another stretch of boardwalk back in time for the July Fourth holiday weekend. The steel reinforced concrete deck spans Beach 97th Street to Beach 107th Street and it joins up with the first stretch of opened boardwalk to give residents and visitors one continuous mile of newly constructed boardwalk.
“We’re thrilled to welcome beachgoers to the first full mile of a more resilient and beautiful Rockaway boardwalk, just in time for the unofficial kickoff to summer,” City Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said.
Large numbers of beachgoers also found more swimming areas in the Phase 2 area, staffed with lifeguards, opening up more space. Additional concessions were open, selling food and drinks from around the world.
Lola Starr Souvenir Boutique on 116th Street opened summer stands, at Beach 32nd Street and Beach 60th Street selling Rockaway-themed merchandise and renting such equipment as beach chairs and boogie boards.
The boardwalk, and much of the surrounding community, were devastated when Hurricane Sandy tore through the peninsula in 2012. The Federal Emergency Management Agency designated $480 million for boardwalk reconstruction.
The 4.7-mile-long boardwalk will be continuously complete by Memorial Day 2016, with intact sections of the old boardwalk and new sections linked together. The boardwalk will be entirely completed by Memorial Day 2017.
