Gilgo, Tobay and Overlook part of Army Corps' South Shore dredging project 

Two coastal resiliency projects totaling $78 million will replenish beaches across Long Island's South Shore after storms withered their shoreline defenses, state and federal officials said Friday.

Federal contractors will dredge more than 2 million cubic yards of sand that will be used to replenish beaches in the Towns of Oyster Bay, Babylon and Southampton. Work is expected to start before the end of the year, state and federal officials said.

In one project, a federal contractor will hydraulically dredge the Fire Island Inlet and place 1.25 million cubic yards of sand along Tobay Beach, Gilgo State Park, and Overlook Beach on the Jones Beach barrier island, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office. 

The federal government will dredge and maintain the inlet, a 250-feet wide navigation channel. That project is expected to cost $37 million. 

Officials on Friday said work will begin on a second, $41.2 million project, to strengthen the shoreline from Cupsogue to Westhampton. The work is part of the federal government's $1.5 billion plan to fortify the Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point, spanning 83 miles of shoreline.

The projects aim to protect the eroding shoreline across the South Shore of Long Island as sea level rise continues to threaten coastal communities. The state and federal government are funding protective measures that include dredging, beach nourishment and other projects.

Jones Beach project

In June, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it had hired Virginia-based Norfolk Dredging to start the Jones Beach project under a $37 million contract. 

The Town of Babylon has a contract to purchase 70,000 cubic yards of sand for $1.5 million, said Ryan Bonner, a spokesman for the town. The Town of Oyster Bay has a contract to purchase 53,000 cubic yards of sand for $3 million, town spokesman Brian Nevin said.

The state will reimburse towns up to $3.5 million for the sand, Hochul's office said.

Dredging is expected to begin in November, according to the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Fire Island Inlet was last dredged in 2022 and 2023, when 1.5 million cubic yards of sand was added to Gilgo Beach, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Schumer said the project "will both ensure safety for our boaters and first responders."

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino urged the Army Corps "to help us develop a long-term action plan to permanently harden the shoreline, protect the mainland and ensure public access to Tobay Beach for generations to come."

Dredged sand is denser than the sand Oyster Bay uses to replenish its beaches — making it more effective, Saladino has said.

In May, the town purchased $1.6 million worth of sand from a Middle Island sand mine after Tobay Beach suffered significant storm erosion.

Fire Island to Montauk Point

On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps said the next phase of the FIMP project will focus on the Westhampton and Cupsogue sections of Fire Island. The Army Corps awarded a $41.2 million contract to Weeks Marine, a Cranford, New Jersey-based company, to dredge in offshore burrow areas, the agency said Friday.

Crews will use 821,000 cubic yards of the dredged sand to replenish the shoreline, according to the contract.

Work will begin before the end of the year, Schumer said.

Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore said some of the beaches have fared better than others. The jetties in Westhampton Beach, for example, have collected a significant amount of sand. That has meant less sand headed for beaches farther west, contributing to erosion in those areas.

Moore, a former mayor of Westhampton Beach, said the goal is to redistribute some of the sand.

"The hope is that with this renourishment, it will even things out," Moore said.

The contract also includes $8.9 million to restore wetlands at the 80-acre Cupsogue Beach Marsh, Schumer’s office said.

Marshes help to protect low-lying areas from flooding and prevent sea level rise by absorbing wave energy, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.