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Overcast City to hold grand reopening of boardwalk, mark Sandy anniversary
Officials to mark completion of entire 2.2-mile span on Friday
The city will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Long Beach Boulevard on Friday to mark the completion of Long Beach’s iconic boardwalk, nearly a year after it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
Long Beach saw the return of its boardwalk — or at least most of it — in late July, when hundreds of runners, bicyclists and pedestrians gathered on the new span’s completed first section as city officials cut a ribbon to mark its official reopening, nine months after it was destroyed by the storm.
The city awarded a $44.2 million contract to Plainview-based Grace Industries to rebuild the 2.2-mile structure, with the hope that some sections would be completed by the summer, a critical time for the city’s economy.
July 25 marked the 100th day of the boardwalk construction, by which Grace Industries was required to complete the section from Long Beach Road to Laurelton Boulevard. Construction continued simultaneously both east and west of the new section, and areas were opened to the public as the construction moved west. City officials said that the entire span would be completed next month.
This week, however, officials announced that a ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday to mark the boardwalk’s grand reopening, saying that the project is ahead of schedule and under budget. Grace Industries met its 180-day milestone of substantial completion of the boardwalk, as per its contract with the city, officials said.
“The city will be celebrating the official completion of your entire Long Beach boardwalk,” City Council President Scott Mandel said in a statement on the city’s website. “As you may remember, we had an unprecedented amount of public input through focus groups and surveys, and we ultimately rebuilt the stronger, smarter, safer boardwalk based on your feedback.”
State and federal representatives may join city officials at the ceremony, though the city has not yet confirmed who will be in attendance. According to the Long Beach School District, the high school’s marching band will be marching the length of the boardwalk, from Neptune Boulevard to New York Avenue, as part of the festivities tomorrow marking the official reopening.
