The architecture studio WXY, engineering firm C2HM, and Pentagram have partnered to rebuild the boardwalk on Rockaway Beach. When it’s complete in 2017, the new boardwalk will be a five and a half mile long segmented cement walkway featuring graphic signage that can only be read from the air.

The approximately 50-foot-by-100-foot letters span the length of the boardwalk to spell out “Rockaway Beach” in dyed blue concrete. The blue reflects the walkway’s proximity to the ocean while remaining clear against the surrounding pale concrete. Paula Scher at Pentagram is leading the design team.

The boardwalk is part of a $140 million Rockaway Beach coastal resiliency plan that includes dune restoration, geotextile sandbags to protect buildings near the beach, and concrete retaining walls to keep sand in place during severe storms. The first mile, from Beach 86 Street to Beach 97 Street, opened just in time for beach season this year.