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Article posted: 12/16/2012 7:26 AM

New York, New Jersey ponder boardwalks without the boards

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Teens on the beach at Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., next to pilings that used to support part of a boardwalk that was washed away by Superstorm Sandy. Coastal towns are racing to repair their boardwalks in time for next summer.

Associated Press/November 2012

A worker removes damaged boards from the Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., boardwalk, three days after Superstorm Sandy wrecked parts of it. Coastal communities are racing to rebuild their boardwalks in time for next summer.

Associated Press/November 2012

Seagulls screech on the boardwalk in Ocean Grove, N.J. The boardwalk was warped and cracked by Superstorm Sandy. Coastal towns are racing to repair their boardwalks in time for next summer.

Associated Press/November 2012

About this Article

Coastal areas of New Jersey and New York that lost their boardwalks to Superstorm Sandy's surge are racing to rebuild them in time for tourist season — in some places, without the boards. For reasons both practical and environmental, some communities are proposing to replace their wooden boardwalks with more durable synthetic materials or even concrete. That is raising objections from those who say nothing else looks, feels or even smells quite like a true wooden boardwalk.