A long-awaited study that paves the way for the construction of permanent coastal protections in Rockaway has been fast-tracked.
A draft of the Rockaway Reformulation Study will be released in August, followed by a final report in November, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a joint statement.
“The residents of the Rockaways and Southern Brooklyn need better protections ASAP, and they are justifiably scared and tired of waiting,” Schumer said in a statement. “This agreement with the Army Corps, forged by Mayor de Blasio and I, will take the flood protection projects from the back burner to the front.”
Schumer said those projects could include a sea wall, jetties and groins to protect the peninsula — ravaged by superstorm Sandy — from future storms.
John Cori, founder of Friends of Rockaway Beach, applauded the announcement.
“They should build groins like they did in Long Beach,” said Cori, who has long lobbied for more jetties. “I hope they listen to the people who live here and know what we need.”
Superstorm Sandy’s fury hit Rockaway from both sides. The Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay flooded into city streets, destroying homes and even knocking the boardwalk off its foundations.
After the storm, the city built a stronger more resilient boardwalk, dunes and added sand to the beach. But residents have been waiting for the construction of more barriers.
