Thursday marks the 100th day of reconstruction on the new Long Beach boardwalk, a key milestone in restoring the city’s iconic oceanfront attraction that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy nine months ago.
The first two blocks of completed boardwalk stretching from Long Beach Boulevard to Edwards Boulevard were turned over to the city for inspection on Tuesday, according to Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for the city.
“As soon as everything checks out, we will open those blocks to the public,” Tepper told the Press. An exact date for the grand reopening for the first blocks will be announced Friday morning.
The area was still lined with “no trespassing” signs and construction cones this week, leaving uncertainty as to when beach-goers will be able to roam the new boardwalk.
Long Beach signed a $44.2-million contract in April with Plainview-based Grace Industries, LLC to replace the boardwalk, which Tepper said is currently “on time and on budget for the project.”
The company faced significant daily fines if it did not meet certain milestones, such as completing the first two-block stretch within 100 days.
The entire 2.2-mile boardwalk is expected to be fully completed and open to the public in November.
The new boardwalk will be constructed of tropical hardwood and cement, which city officials have repeatedly said will make the structure “stronger, smarter and safer” with the goal of it withstanding future hurricanes that hit the island.
