DESCRIPTION: The project area consists of the Atlantic Coast of New York City between East Rockaway Inlet and Rockaway Inlet, and the water and lands within and surrounding Jamaica Bay, New York. More than 850,000 residents, 48,000 residential and commercial structures, and scores of critical infrastructure features such as hospitals, nursing homes, wastewater treatment facilities, subway, railroad, and schools are within the project area.
For the shoreline portion of the project, analyses conducted supported the need of construction for a composite seawall in combination with groin features and associated beach restoration/ beachfill with increased renourishment at the Atlantic Ocean shorefront along the Rockaway peninsula. The structure crest elevation is +17 feet (NAVD88), the dune elevation is +18 feet (NAVD88), and design berm width is minimum 60 feet.
Low lying coastal neighborhood areas within Jamaica Bay were identified as areas where High Frequency Flooding Risk Reduction Features (HFFRRFs) could be implemented. The preliminary screening and subsequent feasibility design and analysis was performed only on the areas identified as potentially having large concentrations of vulnerable homes where stand-alone projects which tie into adjacent high ground could be built (which includes the Hammels, Arverne, and Edgemere Neighborhoods). These identified HFFRRFs includes Natural Based Solutions (NBS), floodwalls, bulkheads, stormwater drainage pump stations, and added or extended stormwater outfalls.
AUTHORIZATION: There is a long history of sediment placement in the study area
After initial construction in 1977, subsequent beach fill placements occurred along the Rockaway peninsula. A Reformulation was authorized by Congress in 1997 to ensure that the appropriate long-term solution was recommended. The Reformulation Effort for East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay was authorized by the House of Representatives, dated 27 Sep 1997; In partial fulfillment of the requirements detailed in Public Law 113-2 (29 Jan 13), The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, USACE obtained authorizations for reducing flooding and storm risks in the affected area that have been constructed or are under construction.
CURRENT STATUS:
ROCKAWAY SHORELINE: Construction of 19 stone groins began Spring 2020 and were completed March 2024. The reinforced dune construction began Summer 2022, and is currently under construction, with expected completion in 2026.
JAMAICA BAY: 30% design for the mid-Rockaway communities was completed Sep 2025. Design review by various project stakeholders (NYSDEC, NYCDEP, and other agencies) is currently underway. Upon completion of all concurrent reviews, the City will initiate the pre-certification phase of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), in advance of starting acquisitions of real property necessary to construct the line of protection for the mid-Rockaway communities of Jamaica Bay, Queens.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: NY-05, NY-08, NY-09
CONTACT:
For the ROCKAWAY SHORELINE:
Mr. Frank Verga
Project Manager
P: 917-790-8212
Email: frank.verga@usace.army.mil
US Army Corps of Engineers, NY District
Programs and Project Management Division
For JAMAICA BAY (mid-Rockaway communities):
Mr. Seth Greenwald, PMP
Project Manager
P: 917-790-8030
Email: seth.b.greenwald@usace.army.mil
US Army Corps of Engineers, NY District
Programs and Project Management Division