Brighton Boardwalk Opens In Time For Memorial Day

The Parks Department reopened the long-shuttered portion of the Brighton Beach Boardwalk Thursday — just in time for the Memorial Day crowds.

Gates blocked off a section of the boardwalk, between Coney Island Avenue and Brighton 15th Street, after the Parks Department began a project to restore the walkway. When the effort began in 2014, the Parks Department promised it would be completed in time for the 2016 beach season.

Local elected officials and community leaders joined Parks Commissioner Mitchel Silver on the Boardwalk to celebrate the reopening.

“As promised, we’ve returned the Boardwalk to the people of Brighton Beach in time for the summer season,” Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz said in a press release. “Thanks to the Parks Department for finishing this project on schedule, so that everyone in our community can enjoy the beach safely for many years to come.”

In 2009, Cymbrowitz and former Assemblyman Alex Brook-Krasny allocated $10 million to repair the boardwalk after receiving numerous complaints about loose bolts, splinters, and holes that posed a safety risk to residents.

The Parks Department also recently removed the unsightly pilings left behind from a failed effort to build an elevated comfort station in front of the Oceana condominiums.

Senator Diane Savino also Assemblywoman Pamela Harris also came to the ceremony to join in the ribbon cutting at the Brighton Beach Boardwalk.