Five-block section of boardwalk close to completion

City officials will hold a press conference on Friday to announce when the first section of boardwalk will open to the public.

The city is expected to announce the opening date and details for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The press conference is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m., on the boardwalk at National Boulevard.

Thursday marked the 100th day of the boardwalk construction, a date that Grace Industries — the Plainview-based contractor doing the rebuild — was required to meet a contractually obligated milestone to “substantially complete” the first five blocks of boardwalk, from Long Beach Road to Laurelton Boulevard.

City officials said that the boardwalk construction is on schedule and on budget.

However, beachgoers and bike riders are still not permitted on the boardwalk. Before the first section is open to the public, the city must inspect and approve the work. On the city’s website, it said that the first two blocks — Long Beach and Edwards boulevards — were submitted to the city for inspection this past Tuesday. Grace Industries was scheduled to submit the remaining three blocks for inspection this week, the website said.

Hurricane Sandy destroyed the 2.2-mile mile boardwalk, and the city awarded a $44.2 million contract to Grace Industries to rebuild it, with the hope that some sections would be completed in time for the summer, a critical time for the city’s economy.

The new boardwalk will feature a low-maintenance tropical hardwood that has a 30- to 40-year lifespan. A wooden span with concrete edges will be built between National Boulevard and Long Beach Road, and the walkway’s eastern and western sections will be all wood.