Community Corner

Rebuilt Ocean Parkway Reopens

Repairs to roadway ravaged by Superstorm Sandy completed in less than six months.

Story bAndrew Coen 

Six months after being ravaged by Superstorm Sandy, Ocean Parkway was reopened Thursday following extensive repairs to the roadway that serves as key transportation route to South Shore beaches. 

The $33.2 million Ocean Parkway restoration project began in December and involved replacing five miles of protective sand dunes washed away by the Oct. 29 storm. A two-mile stretch of the parkway destroyed near Gilgo Beach and damaged lanes to the traffic circle in Robert Moses State Park were also rebuilt. Native vegetation was also replanted including more than 1.2 million plugs of beach grass. 

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A ribbon cutting ceremony marking the reopening of Ocean Parkway was held Thursday morning just east of Tobay Beach in Massapequa. The 15.5-mile highway provides links to Jones Beach in Wantagh, Tobay Beach, Gilgo Beach and Robert Moses State Park with many commuters also using the roadway as an alternative to the heavily-congested Southern State Parkway.

“This is the economic life of the South Shore,” said State Sen. Charles Fuschillo, R-Merrick, during Thursday’s ceremony. “Today we mark a major milestone for Long Island and the South Shore in recovering from Superstorm Sandy.” 

The majority of the Ocean Parkway reconstruction project was funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program. 

“It was critical to restore this link to our world famous parks and beaches before the summer tourism season, which will help boost Long Island as it continues to bounce back from Sandy’s devastating effects,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a statement. “This is an important milestone in our recovery efforts and it is proof that we can work together to build back better and stronger than before.”


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