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Mapping the Post-Sandy Improvements to NYC Beaches

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Seven months after Hurricane Sandy smashed into New York's beaches, all of the city's summer hotspots reopened Memorial Day weekend. While all of the shoreline is still a work in progress, the Parks Department worked around the clock to ready the beaches, implementing $270 million worth of renovations. For this post-Sandy update, we mapped out the main areas where improvements have been made?hello, modular comfort stations!?and where construction is still ongoing?Coney Island's Steeplechase Pier, alas, is still closed for reconstruction.


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Beach 86th Street Island

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Rockaway beaches were the first to get the modular comfort and lifeguard stations designed by Garrison Architects. InhabitatNYC has a detailed look at the buildings, which are 15-feet wide, 12-feet high, and either 57- or 47-feet long. They're set well above the FEMA flood levels, and they have solar panels for electricity, as well as solar hot water heating. Beach 86th Street has new lifeguard stations, as well as a newly renovated concession stand.

Beach 97th Street Island

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You can find more of the new lifeguard stations near 97th Street, as well as a concrete boardwalk "island." [Photo via Inhabitat]

Beach 106th Street Island

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Another set of lifeguard stations sit at Beach 106th. Community members were not pleased with the design of the modular buildings, but Bloomberg archicritic found them to be delightful. This photo shows the old lifeguard station, which was demolished after the storm.

Rockaway Beach - 116th Street

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Beach 116th Street is one of the busiest areas in Rockaway, and new lifeguard and comfort stations were installed here. A concrete boardwalk was also constructed between Beach 115th and 117th Streets.

Beach 126th Street

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The Parks Department is completing shoreline protection measures by installing sand-filled geotextile mesh bags next to the boardwalk. The first phase extends from Beach 108th Street to Beach 126th Street. Photo shows the area of the boardwalk last summer before Sandy.

Beach 149th Street

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New concrete baffle walls (protective barriers) are being construction from Beach 126th Street to Beach 149th Street. The new structures, where are attached to steel supports driven 25-feet into the ground, are much larger and stronger than the old walls were destroyed by Sandy. Photo of the wall being constructed from the Queens Chronicle.

Fort Tilden Park

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Fort Tilden, a difficult-to-get-to beach coveted for its lack of crowds, did not reopen for the summer because of severe erosion. A group of volunteers has been working to restore the beach, maintaining dune grass, which protects against future storms. Their efforts were delayed earlier in the summer because Piping Plovers, a New York State endangered migrating bird, were nesting on the beach.

Jacob Riis Beach

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The parking lot of Jacob Riis Park was used as dumping grounds for Hurricane Sandy debris the months after the clean-up, but the popular beach is almost back to normal. The bath house has re-opened, however, other parts of the Art Deco buildings remain fenced off and closed. Erosion is evident and the outdoor showers have been removed, but when we recently visited, things looked largely the same as last summer.

New Brighton

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A set of modular comfort stations will be installed where a restroom building used to stand near Coney Island Avenue. The date for this installation has not yet been set. The Google Streetview photo shows the area last summer.

Brighton 2nd Street

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Lifeguard stations were also installed at Brighton 2nd Street along the Coney Island Boardwalk. Photo shows the bathhouse that the comfort station replaced, pre-Sandy.

West 2nd Street

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The beach area near West 2nd Street now has a modular set of lifeguard stations. The boardwalk is still being reconstructed in some sections. [Photo via Parks Department]

West 8th Street

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Another set of modular comfort stations was installed on the Coney Island boardwalk at West 8th Street where there was a bath house.

Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier

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The Steeplechase Pier had to be entirely reconstructed post-Sandy, and sadly, it's still not reopened. We talked to a press person for the Parks Department today, and she said they hope to have it opened by the end of the summer. Local Coney blog Amusing the Zillion has been following the construction with some photos.

FDR Boulevard Freedom Circle

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The section of the Staten Island boardwalk near Freedom Circle reopened the week of July 4th, but the overlook section near the circle is still closed for repairs.

Midland Beach

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Midland Beach is one of three areas in Staten Island that received the comfort/lifeguard stations designed by Garrison Architects. Many homes in the Midland Beach area were completely destroyed, but residents are rebuilding, and they welcomed the start of beach season. Staten Island Advance reported that about 30 percent of the boardwalk is open and the Parks Department is working "around the clock" on storm and erosion protection measures. [Photo source]

Cedar Grove Beach

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During the week of July 4th, the prefab steel lifeguard stations were installed in Cedar Grove Beach, but they are not yet operational. The city is also working with the Army Corps of Engineers to implement a berm project that will reinforce the badly damaged dune system. According to the Parks Department website, the berm will stretch 7,500 feet along the coast from New Dorp Land to Fox Lane, bringing 41,000-cubic-feet of new sand to the beaches. [Photo pre-Sandy]

Wolfe's Pond

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Wolfe's Pond on the South Shore of Staten Island suffered serious damage during Hurricane Sandy, and large parts of the park and beach are still closed for construction. At the end of June, Staten Island Advance reported that the parks department was "is currently completing some revetment work along the shoreline to stabilize the bluffs and prevent further erosion." The beach will also get two sets of the modular comfort and lifeguard stations. [Photo shows the beach pre-Sandy]

Beach 86th Street Island

Rockaway beaches were the first to get the modular comfort and lifeguard stations designed by Garrison Architects. InhabitatNYC has a detailed look at the buildings, which are 15-feet wide, 12-feet high, and either 57- or 47-feet long. They're set well above the FEMA flood levels, and they have solar panels for electricity, as well as solar hot water heating. Beach 86th Street has new lifeguard stations, as well as a newly renovated concession stand.

Beach 97th Street Island

You can find more of the new lifeguard stations near 97th Street, as well as a concrete boardwalk "island." [Photo via Inhabitat]

Beach 106th Street Island

Another set of lifeguard stations sit at Beach 106th. Community members were not pleased with the design of the modular buildings, but Bloomberg archicritic found them to be delightful. This photo shows the old lifeguard station, which was demolished after the storm.

Rockaway Beach - 116th Street

Beach 116th Street is one of the busiest areas in Rockaway, and new lifeguard and comfort stations were installed here. A concrete boardwalk was also constructed between Beach 115th and 117th Streets.

Beach 126th Street

The Parks Department is completing shoreline protection measures by installing sand-filled geotextile mesh bags next to the boardwalk. The first phase extends from Beach 108th Street to Beach 126th Street. Photo shows the area of the boardwalk last summer before Sandy.

Beach 149th Street

New concrete baffle walls (protective barriers) are being construction from Beach 126th Street to Beach 149th Street. The new structures, where are attached to steel supports driven 25-feet into the ground, are much larger and stronger than the old walls were destroyed by Sandy. Photo of the wall being constructed from the Queens Chronicle.

Fort Tilden Park

Fort Tilden, a difficult-to-get-to beach coveted for its lack of crowds, did not reopen for the summer because of severe erosion. A group of volunteers has been working to restore the beach, maintaining dune grass, which protects against future storms. Their efforts were delayed earlier in the summer because Piping Plovers, a New York State endangered migrating bird, were nesting on the beach.

Jacob Riis Beach

The parking lot of Jacob Riis Park was used as dumping grounds for Hurricane Sandy debris the months after the clean-up, but the popular beach is almost back to normal. The bath house has re-opened, however, other parts of the Art Deco buildings remain fenced off and closed. Erosion is evident and the outdoor showers have been removed, but when we recently visited, things looked largely the same as last summer.

New Brighton

A set of modular comfort stations will be installed where a restroom building used to stand near Coney Island Avenue. The date for this installation has not yet been set. The Google Streetview photo shows the area last summer.

Brighton 2nd Street

Lifeguard stations were also installed at Brighton 2nd Street along the Coney Island Boardwalk. Photo shows the bathhouse that the comfort station replaced, pre-Sandy.

West 2nd Street

The beach area near West 2nd Street now has a modular set of lifeguard stations. The boardwalk is still being reconstructed in some sections. [Photo via Parks Department]

West 8th Street

Another set of modular comfort stations was installed on the Coney Island boardwalk at West 8th Street where there was a bath house.

Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier

The Steeplechase Pier had to be entirely reconstructed post-Sandy, and sadly, it's still not reopened. We talked to a press person for the Parks Department today, and she said they hope to have it opened by the end of the summer. Local Coney blog Amusing the Zillion has been following the construction with some photos.

FDR Boulevard Freedom Circle

The section of the Staten Island boardwalk near Freedom Circle reopened the week of July 4th, but the overlook section near the circle is still closed for repairs.

Midland Beach

Midland Beach is one of three areas in Staten Island that received the comfort/lifeguard stations designed by Garrison Architects. Many homes in the Midland Beach area were completely destroyed, but residents are rebuilding, and they welcomed the start of beach season. Staten Island Advance reported that about 30 percent of the boardwalk is open and the Parks Department is working "around the clock" on storm and erosion protection measures. [Photo source]

Cedar Grove Beach

During the week of July 4th, the prefab steel lifeguard stations were installed in Cedar Grove Beach, but they are not yet operational. The city is also working with the Army Corps of Engineers to implement a berm project that will reinforce the badly damaged dune system. According to the Parks Department website, the berm will stretch 7,500 feet along the coast from New Dorp Land to Fox Lane, bringing 41,000-cubic-feet of new sand to the beaches. [Photo pre-Sandy]

Wolfe's Pond

Wolfe's Pond on the South Shore of Staten Island suffered serious damage during Hurricane Sandy, and large parts of the park and beach are still closed for construction. At the end of June, Staten Island Advance reported that the parks department was "is currently completing some revetment work along the shoreline to stabilize the bluffs and prevent further erosion." The beach will also get two sets of the modular comfort and lifeguard stations. [Photo shows the beach pre-Sandy]