The City of New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced earlier this week that Weeks Marine, from Cranford, NJ, has begun moving work vessels, pipes and other equipment to perform maintenance dredging of East Rockaway Inlet.
The main goal of this scheme is to beneficially use dredged sand to re-nourish and restore Rockaway beach between Beach 92nd Street and Beach 103rd Street.
“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,” said Mayor de Blasio . “The summer wouldn’t be the same for the community and for families across the city without this work. The Army Corps and our federal partners have been critical to getting this solution in action.”
De Blasio, NY Senator Charles Schumer and NY Congressman Gregory Weldon Meeks worked with USACE to find this solution, which should allow for the reopening of this stretch of beach this coming summer, depending on the severity of spring storms.
The USACE’ New York District recently awarded a $10.7 million contract to Weeks for this much needed maintenance dredging work on the East Rockaway Inlet Federal Navigation Channel.
The city is contributing $2.7 million to pump the sand two and a half miles farther west along Rockaway Beach in order to restore this section of the beaches which were closed last year because of significant erosion.
USACE is expected to begin dredging operations during the next week, pending the severity of spring storms, with a completion date before June 1, 2019, which is the beginning of Hurricane season.