Orient Beach State Park to reopen after nor’easter damage forced its closure
Orient Beach State Park is reopening to the public Friday after an Oct. 27 nor’easter cut off its only access road, The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced Thursday.
Officials closed the park after high tide generated by the storm undermined and collapsed a 300-foot long section of the entrance roadway near Gardiners Bay. The $300,000 repair project included filling approximately 12,000 cubic yards along the shoulders that had washed away in certain areas of the causeway. The Cross Sound Ferry donated the fill for the repairs that left over from a previous dredging project, park officials said in a press release. Long Island State Parks spokesman George Gorman initially said the fix could cost up to $1 million dollars.
The project will be completed later in the spring when the final coats of asphalt can be applied in warm weather, according to a press release.
Despite chilly temperatures, Mr. Gorman previously told the Suffolk Times that about 70,000 people use Orient Beach State Park during the winter. He also noted that it is not unusual to see these kinds of weather damages at Long Island parks.
Photo caption: A portion of the access road to Orient Beach State Park was destroyed in an October storm. (Kate Nalepinski photo)
