Rebuilding the Long Beach Boardwalk (2014 LGAA)

City of Long Beach
County: Nassau County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
City Hall: (516) 431-1001

In 2012, the City of Long Beach's Boardwalk was destroyed from Super-storm Sandy. After the immediate and urgent infrastructure needs were being met, the City engaged in a full-scale public input process to determine the future of the boardwalk. In early 2013, the City commenced a 10-step process for Phase 1 construction of the new Long Beach Boardwalk.

Given the magnitude of Super-storm Sandy, the City faced the potential for a complete fiscal collapse. The rebuilding of the Long Beach Boardwalk was absolutely vital in staving off a major multi-year economic downturn. Additionally, the City was concerned about the potential loss of commercial tax base, which would have put incredible pressure on residents who had already been overburdened given the nature of the storm.

A reconstruction focus group determined the boardwalk would be built using a strong, sustainable tropical hardwood in conjunction with concrete in the highest trafficked areas. The new boardwalk is aesthetically appealing and requires significantly less maintenance as the new wooden planks have a 30-40 year lifespan as compared to the 3-7 year lifespan of the old boardwalk planks.

A retaining wall was installed, including vinyl/fiberglass sheeting, that combined with stringers and supports secured beneath the boardwalk. This wall, underneath the boardwalk, will mitigate wave action from passing the south side of the boardwalk, thus preventing the same type of damage to reoccur.

Having anew, state-of-the-art boardwalk covered through recovery funding saved the City millions in standard maintenance costs that the old boardwalk required, and it provided an opportunity to build back better than before without burdening local taxpayers.

FEMA is reimbursing the City to replace what was there along with bringing it up to code, while additional funding for common sense construction practices (e.g., retaining wall, screws not nails) has also been applied for. The City is also receiving public assistance funding through the 404 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program administered by the State as well as monies through the Sandy Recovery Act Bill to cover the City's cost.