to raise the beach by . Simultaneously, a controversy arose around the comfort stations; though some of the modules had not been installed yet, several modules were visibly rusting. The first rebuilt section between Beach 86th and 97th Streets opened in May 2015. The entire length of the boardwalk reopened in July 2016. The rebuilding of the boardwalk was finished in May 2017, with the completion of the final section between Beach 19th and 39th Streets. The next year, the reconstruction received the American Planning Association's National Planning Achievement Award for Urban Design. Some of the sand from the beach had already eroded by 2017, and the USACE had secured $400 million for further beach improvements, part of a $4 billion project to flood-proof the Rockaways. The city conducted a study in November 2017, finding that despite the erosion, the beach was wider than at almost any other time in the previous century. Despite this, the beach between Beach 91st and 102nd Streets was temporarily closed at the start of the summer season in May 2018, with reopening not expected for several years. A small portion between Beach 96th and 98th Streets was reopened the next month. The Rockaway Beach Skate Park along the boardwalk, which was severely damaged in Hurricane Sandy, reopened in August 2020 after several years of delays surrounding the skate park's reconstruction. In May 2022, city officials announced that portions of Rockaway Beach would be closed that summer so the USACE could reconstruct those sections, which had been affected by erosion. That July, the Shore Front Parkway Adventure Course opened next to the boardwalk between Beach 101st and 102nd Streets. Cultural impact The park was the inspiration for the Ramones' 1977 song "Rockaway Beach". The song, on their 1977 album Rocket to Russia'', became the American punk rock group's highest-charting single, peaking at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written in the surf rock style of the Beach Boys and other similar bands, the song was composed by the group's bassist, Dee Dee Ramone, who liked to spend time on the beach. In June 2013, the song was used in a radio ad campaign sponsored by the Queens Economic Development Corporation to promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy by drawing New Yorkers back to Rockaway Beach. References External links Parks in Queens, New York Rockaway, Queens Urban public parks