Weekend Storms Create Football Field-Sized Hole In Dune Along Ocean Parkway
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Millions of dollars worth of post-Hurricane Sandy repair work has been washed away on Long Island.
Pounding surf and winds from weekend storms created a massive football field-sized crater in part of a dune along Ocean Parkway, allowing ocean water within 15 feet of the road near Gilgo Beach.
State officials said they are bringing in 20,000 cubic yards of sand to repair the dune at an estimated cost of $200,000.
"Really, when you look at our infrastructure, it's falling apart left and right," said Neal Lewis of Sustainability Institute, a community advocacy group out of Molloy College.
Weekend Storms Create Football Field-Size Hole In Dune Along Ocean Parkway
More than $30 million was spent to restore dunes between Gilgo Beach and Jones Beach to pre-Sandy conditions in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Lewis told CBS 2's Alice Gainer the repairs Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered may prove short-sighted and costly, because stronger protections were put off.
"There were several engineering ideas that could have made Ocean Parkway more secure, like using large boulders around it," Lewis said.
Other critics agreed, saying the quick fix was inadequate and calling for more serious repairs.
"It's a shame," one man told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera. "They have to do something about it. They try to get more sand in, but it just washes away so they have to think of a more permanent solution."
Dana Termini told Gainer she and other surfers are sad to see the new dunes already cut down but are more worried about proposals to place boulders along the shoreline that would likely cut down on the big surf they so crave.
"As a surfer, a lot of people complain about that because it shifts things and changes things. You see that in Long Beach; you see that in Montauk," Termini said.
Termini said surfers would surely go along with any changes that could save the barrier beach and protect the roadway, pointing out that last week's storm was far offshore yet still delivered punishing effects.
Eastbound lanes will be partially closed through Friday for the emergency repair work.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories:
