East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet, and Jamaica Bay

The Rockaway Beach shoreline has experienced a number of severe hurricanes and northeasters over the last 40 years. In 1960 Hurricane Donna caused $8,774,000 (1960 price level) in damages, including 6,000 homes and hundreds of commercial establishments and a 1962 storm inflicted $8,450,400 (1962 price level) in damages to the Rockaway Peninsula. This  report  is considered a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) because there is an existing, authorized project for the area that  was  constructed  in  1977  and  re-nourished  through  2004, based  upon  the  1965 construction authorization. A Reformulation  effort was initiated in 2003 to revisit the  authorized  plan,  and make recommendations for a long-term solution. A Revised Draft report and Final Report was drafted in 2018 that includes all implementable elements, and is currently under review for final project approval.  The recommended plan includes beach fill with a reinforced dune, new and rehabilitated groins, and high frequency flood risk reduction features for portions of the bay side of the Rockaway peninsula.

A fact sheet for the project can be found here. 

Study Area

The study area (Below) consists of  the  Atlantic  Coast  of NYC between  East  Rockaway Inlet  and  Rockaway  Inlet,  and  the  water  and  lands  within  and  surrounding  Jamaica  Bay,  New York.   The study area (unchanged  from  the  Draft  HSGRR/EIS) also  includes  the low  lying Coney  Island  section  of  Brooklyn,  which  can  be  overtopped  by  floodwaters  that  flood  the Brooklyn  neighborhoods  surrounding Jamaica  Bay.   The area is located within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulated one percent Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) floodplain, or the 100-year floodplain.    The Atlantic  Ocean  shoreline,  which  is a peninsula approximately  10  miles  in  length,  generally  referred  to  as the Rockaways,  separates the Atlantic Ocean from Jamaica Bay immediately to the north.  The greater portion of Jamaica Bay lies in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, NYC, and a section at the eastern end, known as Head-of-Bay, lies in Nassau County. More  than  850,000 residents, over 46,000 residential and non-residential structures(which  includes scores  of  critical  infrastructure features such  as schools, hospitals, and nursing  homes), and  additional wastewater  treatment, subway, and railroad infrastructure are located within the study area.

April 2024: 

Jamaica Bay 30% Design Award – in continuation of the design effort for the Jamaica Bay features, the 30% design task order was awarded to an AE firm to progress the design from 10% to 30%. This task is expected to finish early 2026.

March 2024: 

Contract 1 Construction Completion – Groins construction completed and the contractor demobilized from site.

June 2023: 

Jamaica Bay 10% design completed. The remaining of the design development will be tasked to an AE firm.

April 2022 Update:

Phase one of this project is currently underway. New groins have been constructed and refurbished.  Bayside project features are currently in the design phase. 

November 2021: 

The second contract if this project is awarded. The work include beach fill placement, reinforced dune construction, planting, removal and disposal of debris and timber piles, construction of various pedestrian and vehicular dune cross over structures.

April 2020:

The first contract of this project is awarded. Work includes the construction and rehabilitation of 19 groins from Beach 32^nd St to Beach 149^th St.

August 22, 2019 Update:

Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, USACE Commanding General, signed the Chief’s Report for the Atlantic Coast of New York East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay Hurricane Sandy Reformulation Study and has transmitted the Corps of Engineers' recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for the Army for Civil Works for review and final approval.

The Revised Final Integrated General Reevaluation Report and Environmental Impact Statement (which incorporated final edits resulting from the USACE Headquarters Policy Review) was submitted with the Chief's Report and is available on the top of this page.

September, 2018 Update

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of New York, held public meetings to provide study information and solicit comments on the revised Recommended Plan for the Atlantic Coast of New York, East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet, and Jamaica Bay Reformulation Study. As of August 31st, the Revised Draft Integrated Report is out for public & agency review and these meetings are to support public engagement.

To see the presentation from the meeting click here. To see the poster boards from the meeting click here.

August, 2018 Update

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District announces the availability of the Revised Draft Integrated Hurricane Sandy General Re-evaluation Report/and Environmental Impact Statement (Draft HSGRR/EIS) and revised General Conformity (GC) Determination which supports the draft Statement of Conformity (DSOC) for the Atlantic Coast of New York, East Rockaway Inlet  to Rockaway Inlet, and Jamaica Bay Reformulation Study  and the opening of the 45-day public comment period on the report. The public comment period concludes on October 22, 2018. 

Written comments on the Revised Draft HSGRR/EIS) and revised General Conformity (GC) Determination can be submitted to:

Project Manager:

Re-evaluation Study Report 2018

General Re-evaluation Report/and Environmental Impact Statement (Draft HSGRR/EIS)
Appendix A1 - Shorefront Engineering and Design Appendix
Appendix A1-A  Rockaway, Appendix A2-Engineering Modeling Appendix
Appendix A1-B Screening Level Cost Estimates Supporting Data
Appendix A1-C  Plans and Sections for the Recommended Plan for the Atlantic Shorefront 
Appendix A2 - Jamaica Bay High Frequency Flood Risk Reduction Features Engineering and Design Appendix
Appendix A2-A HFFRRF Phase 1 Projects and Project Maps
Appendix A2-B Sub Appendix A2-B: HFFRRF Phase 2 Projects
Appendix A2-C HFFRRF Screening Level Cost Estimates Supporting Data
Appendix A2-D Phase Two Wave Modeling for Design Basis Update
Appendix A2-E Jamaica Bay High Frequency Flood Risk Reduction Features Engineering and Design Appendix
Appendix A2-F Plans and Sections for the Recommended Plan for Jamaica Bay
Appendix A2-F Part 1 Plans and Sections for the Recommended Plan for Jamaica Bay
Appendix A2-F Part 2 Plans and Sections for the Recommended Plan for Jamaica Bay
Appendix A2-F Part 3 Plans and Sections for the Recommended Plan for Jamaica Bay
Appendix B Economic Benefits
Appendix C Cost Engineering Appendix
Appendix D Environmental Compliance
Appendix D1 USFWS Planning Aid Letter
Appendix D2-A Endangered Species Act Compliance Biological Assessment
Appendix D2-B Endangered Species Act Compliance NMFS NLAA Determination Concurrence
Appendix D3  Essential Fish Habitat Assessment for Federally-Managed Fisheries Species
Appendix D4 Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines Evaluation
Appendix D5 Coastal Zone Management Program Federal Consistency Determination
Appendix D6 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Appendix D7 Draft General Conformity Determination Notice
Appendix D8 Monitoring Plan Cover
Appendix E Real Estate Plan
Appendix F Public Access Plan
Appendix G Public Engagement
Appendix H Support from Non-Federal Sponsor, Partners, and Cooperating Agencies

April 2015 Update- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, hosted a series of public information sessions to share information regarding the ongoing East Rockaway to Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay Reformulation Study and gather feedback from the public. The posters and formal presentations from those sessions can be downloaded in PDF form below.

Entire Poster Set - Posters 1-13 (~9MB)

• Poster 1 - Welcome (~1MB)
• Poster 2 - Sediment Modeling Results (~1MB)
• Poster 3 - Project Area Problem Identification (~1MB)
• Poster 4 - Rockaway History (~1MB)
• Poster 5 - Short-Listed Alternatives (~1MB)
• Poster 6 - Atlantic Coast Alternative 1 (Beach Restoration) (~2MB)
• Poster 7 - Atlantic Coast Alternative 2 (Beach Restoration and Modified Erosion Control) (~2MB)
• Poster 8 - Atlantic Coast Alternative 3 (Beach Restoration and Increased Erosion Control) (~2MB)
• Poster 9 - Dune Reinforcement (~1MB)
• Poster 10 - Jamaica Bay Structural Alternatives (~1MB)
• Poster 11 - Screening of Measures (~1MB)
• Poster 12 - Identifying What Impacts to Assess (~1MB)
• Poster 13 - Next Steps (~1MB)

 For more information please read the Atlantic Coast of New York City, East Rockaway Inlet to Rockaway Inlet & Jamaica Bay, NY Fact Sheet or email the Project Manager.