Boardwalk may reopen by Memorial Day
Weather-permitting, construction could start in March
The city is shooting to reopen the boardwalk in time for Memorial Day Weekend — but the work schedule is tight, city engineer Joe Cunha has said.
Portions of the boardwalk were damaged or destroyed due to Hurricane Sandy, which hit on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012.
Officials are working on design plans right now and plan to be out to bid by the end of the month for a contractor to complete the construction, he said. Cunha hopes to award a contract at the second meeting of February or the first meeting of March.
The total cost of boardwalk repairs is estimated to reach about $4.5 million.
If ground is broken in March and the weather cooperates, the boards should be ready for the public by Memorial Day Weekend — but a cold, snowy winter is being forecasted.
“The extreme cold and snow haven’t hit yet, but this [project] is strictly weather-permitting,” he said.
The job isn’t “tremendously large,” he said, as two swaths of the boardwalk need repairs while the rest remains functional. The parts of the boardwalk that need the most attention are in the areas in front of the First Avenue pavilion and the Fifth Avenue pavilion, he said.
The area in front of Fifth Avenue will need its entire substructure reconstructed, Cunha said. The First Avenue portion, though, only needs some patches of substructure and re-planking, and the materials for that have already been purchased.
The Fifth Avenue portion of the boardwalk borders Convention Hall and McLoone’s Supper Club, both of which need to be accessible to the public while work is being completed, Cunha said.
Boardwalk businesses Watermark, McLoone’s Supper Club and Silverball Pinball Museumhave reopened, while restaurants Stella Marina and Cubacan are slated for a Feb. 1 debut. Restaurants will be unable to set up their outdoor seating until the boardwalk repairs are finished, Cunha said.
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For more stories on the boardwalk post-Hurricane Sandy, click below:
Portion of boardwalk needs entirely new substructure
Yoga fest donates $1,000 to boardwalk repairs
Sandy costs include boardwalk, sewer repairs
