First Contract Awarded for the Rockaways

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District has awarded the first contract for the East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay, New York Coastal Storm Risk Reduction Project.

USACE personnel inspects sand discharge at East Rockaway Inlet (USACE photo)

This is the first of several contracts that will provide nearly $600 million in federal investment for the construction of storm risk reduction infrastructure on both the Atlantic Ocean shoreline and the Jamaica Bay shoreline of the Rockaway Peninsula.

The contract was awarded to H&L Contracting LLC of Bayshore, NY for just under $114 million.

Work under this contract includes the construction of fourteen (14) new stone groin structures and rehabilitation of five (5) existing groins on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Rockaway peninsula.

This first element of construction will immediately provide erosion control and stabilization of the beach system. Work is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

Last May the Corps pumped 348,000 cubic yards of sand onto Rockaway Beach between Beach 92nd Street and Beach 105th to mitigate severe erosion in the area.

For years, the Rockaway community has been patiently awaiting much-needed improvements to the resiliency of their Atlantic shoreline,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.

I am glad to see the contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded so that our work to replenish and reinforce the Rockaway shoreline continues on track, with construction beginning imminently within the month,” said Congressman Gregory W. Meeks.

Working hand-in-hand with city, state and federal authorities, we will strengthen Rockaway’s coastal resilience through a series of projects focused on storm risk reduction and erosion control,” said USACE commander, Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite.

This contract award represents a tremendous next step in our efforts to reinforce our shorelines and our coasts. Bolstering resiliency to reduce the devastating impacts of coastal storms saves lives, reduces property and economic damage, and can ensure a faster recovery after an event,” said Colonel Thomas Asbery, Commander of the New York District.

With the passage of Public Law 113-2, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was provided both authority to perform feasibility studies to identify opportunities for coastal storm risk reduction, as well as funding to complete or newly construct coastal storm risk management projects in the Northeast.