Rockaway Beach Access Upgrades

The pier to nowhere is gone.

And for the most part, so are the aged wooden boards that made up the wall that futility tried to keep the sand back between the Rockaway Parking lot and Clearwater Beach.

It is part of the new look for the parking lot that can see up to a half million cars use it a year.

A four-foot tall sand wall is being installed along the west side of the Rockaway parking lot near where the old Mandalay Pier was.

The structure, between Frenchy's Rockaway and the Palm Pavilion, came down for cost reasons and because of the $200,000 sand wall project.

At one time the pier extended over the water, but through erosion and beach nourishment it ended about 150 feet before the water. Costs to repair the crumbling concrete far outweighed the $90,000 to bring it down.

These are just the latest changes for the lot.

On the east side of the lot, a $200,000 project replaced the old wooden, open-air, six pack of bathrooms with a modern facility. Crews also built a similar looking two-and-a-half foot tall, skateboard resistant sandwall. A seven-foot wide sidewalk and new landscaping on the east side of the lot was also installed.

Related coverage:

• Mandalay Pier is Coming Down
• Mandalay Pier Expected to Come Down
• Mandalay Pier Could Meet Wrecking Ball
• New Bathrooms; Parking Meters Greet Clearwater Beach Spring Breakers