No more wooden boardwalks ever, says Mayor Bloomberg

Image source: Reuters via Travelers Today – concrete sections of the Rockaway boardwalk

Well, we’ve mentioned this boardwalk debate – wood vs. concrete – before, and had wondered what the decision would be in rebuilding the Rockaway beach boardwalk. Well, the Mayor has spoken – no wooden boardwalks will be constructed… EVER. From an article in Travelers Today, here are the Mayor’s comments, spoken during a meeting at the office of local Rockaways newspaper The Wave:

“I guess this settles the issue of wooden boardwalks versus concrete boardwalks. There will be no more wooden boardwalks in Rockaway or anywhere else. I don’t know that we can reconstruct the Boardwalk before this summer, but it will be done.”

He’s also not sure if the boardwalk will be rebuilt before summer, though Parks Commissioner Lewandowski would like to see contractors checking things out at the start of 2013, and construction happening shortly after that.

Local Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, who represents the Rockaways, made this observation:

“A symbol of the destruction [in Rockaway] has been the boardwalk. When you really want to show how badly we got hit, show them the piles of boardwalk. Much of the boardwalk wound up in homes, driveways, parking lots and major streets of the small peninsula.  In many areas, the only thing that remains is the concrete structures that held up the wooden boardwalk.”

That the concrete structures were the only things standing in their original positions was likely serious fuel for the fire behind the decision to reject using wood again on the boardwalk.

Some believe this wood vs. concrete debate is not the most important topic right now – getting people up and on their feet is the most pressing. The issue of a sea wall and jetties are also important issues, which feel more immediate as well.

NYC Will No Longer Have Wooden Boardwalks After Hurricane Sandy Destroyed Historic Boardwalk in Rockaway Beach [Travelers Today]
Read more at http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/3787/20121201/nyc-will-longer-wooden-boardwalks-hurricane-sandy-destroyed-historic-boardwalk-in-rockaway-beach-queens-new-york-mayor-bloomberg.htm#8P4srpscJL5SKDYc.99
Construction and restoration of the Rockaway beach boardwalk could start in early 2013 [QNYC]
Hurricane Sandy utterly destroyed the Rockaway boardwalk [QNYC]