Long Beach Second Phase Restoration Work Starts This Week

The Army Corps of Engineers has announced that the second phase of the storm damage reduction project along Long Beach is starting soon, if not already. The second phase will fill the beach more and add dune crossing structures.

The Army Corps was scheduled to begin exploratory work on June 15 at New York Avenue, heading east. The work entails digging test holes to determine if groins will conflict with the infrastructure needed for sand replacement. A work area approximately 100 feet square will be fenced off with 4-foot-tall temporary, construction fencing, and will include an excavator, an off-road truck, and a 20 ft. long storage container.

Several test holes will be dug to determine if rock groins or wood sheeting are present. Once completed, the area will be backfilled with the material excavated, regraded, and reopened to the public.

After the exploratory work, the Army Corps will begin pile driving for the proposed walkovers, likely starting this week. Once the piles are in, beachfilling and sand replenishment will immediately start -- the main dredging, pumping and filling operation that will raise the beach. The work will begin at Riverside Boulevard and head west.

The City of Long Beach says it will monitor the work throughout the process to help ensure the work impacts residents as little as possible.

The Army Corps and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will host a public meeting on the work at 7 p.m. on June 27 at Long Beach City Hall, and at 7 p.m. on June 28 at the Bishop Malloy Center in Point Lookout.

For more information, you can contact Daniel Falt, project manager for the Army Corps, at 917-790-8614 or Daniel.T.Falt@usace.army.mil, as well as Susan McCormick at 518-402-8185 or Susan.mccormick@dec.ny.gov.

Photo: Patch