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NYC Beachgoers will need to plan ahead this summer if they want to sunbathe at Rockaway Beach.
According to NYC Parks, 10-15 blocks of the beach will be temporarily closed to all access throughout the summer.
The beach blocks will be closed on a rolling basis over the summer—moving westward from Beach 116 and moving eastward from Beach 143.
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This is all because of an ongoing $336 million Atlantic Shorefront Resiliency Project headed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which says it’s working to “protect and strengthen the Rockaway community.”
According to NYC Parks, the project will address severe erosion and flooding from coastal storms happening due to climate change. It’ll build 14 new stone groin structures, rehabilitate five existing groins, create a reinforced dune system and haul in more sand to the Atlantic Ocean side of the Rockaway Peninsula. (Stone groins are rock structures that extend out into the ocean that trap sand and reduce beach erosion.)
“There is no question, the Rockaways have been severely impacted by coastal storms and intense erosion over the years and the improvements we’re making as part of our ongoing Coastal Storm Risk Reduction Project will go a long way toward reducing risk to these communities from future storms,” Colonel Matthew Luzzatto, Commander of the USACE, New York District, said in a statement. “I continue to be impressed and thankful for the tremendous work done by my team and our partners, especially NYC Parks, as we continue to work diligently at reducing coastal storm risk for the residents of the Rockaways.”
Not to worry—while you’ll need to avoid some parts of the beach this summer, over 70 blocks of Rockaway Beach will be open to swimming seven days a week as will the entirety of the boardwalk.
Starting May 27, NYC Parks beaches open for the 2023 season seven days a week, from 10am to 6pm.