Gilgo State Park to close for a monthslong sand replenishment project

Gilgo State Park will close on Monday for a monthslong sand replenishment project, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will place 1.25 million cubic yards of sand from the Fire Island Inlet onto the shoreline of Gilgo State Park, a four-wheel drive access only park within the Town of Babylon, the parks office said in a statement on Saturday.

The project is expected to continue through the spring of 2025, said George Gorman, Long Island regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The work is part of the federal government's $1.5 billion plan to fortify the Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point project, spanning 83 miles of shoreline.

In addition to Gilgo State Park, a federal contractor will hydraulically dredge the Fire Island Inlet along Tobay Beach, and Overlook Beach on the Jones Beach barrier island, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.

The Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point project strives to reduce risks associated with coastal storm damage along Long Island's Atlantic shoreline, Gorman said.

Gilgo State Park and Orient Beach State Park were temporarily closed in April after a massive storm swept through Long Island.

About 50,000 cubic yards of sand was added to stabilize the entrance of Gilgo State Park, allowing the park to remain open in the summer.

The drive-only access park is mainly used by surfers and fisherman during the summer seasons, Gorman said.

The project also was designed to take place in the offseason to protect endangered wildlife such as the piping plover, which inhibits the area in the main season.

"The sand replenishing and dredging is performed during the offseason," Gorman said. "All the work has to be completed by then, so that we don't interfere with their [the piping plover] habitat."