Assemblyman Cymbrowitz hails federal project to restore sand lost to Sandy in Brighton Beach

August 9, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Screen Shot 2013-08-09 at 2.41.04 PM.png

Share this:

The sand lost to Sandy is coming back.

Brighton Beach residents will enjoy a more expansive beach and greater storm preparedness thanks to a federal contract to restore 600,000 cubic yards of sand that were washed away by Superstorm Sandy, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) announced.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $7.3 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Illinois company to place the sand along the beach in Brighton and Coney Island in order “to return the coastline to pre-storm conditions and mitigate the impact of future storms,” Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said.

“Although our area suffered significant damage during Sandy, the Atlantic Ocean provided some measure of protection and prevented things from being even worse,” he said. “Replacing the sand that was lost due to Sandy is an important mechanism for reducing the risk of damage should another severe storm hit us.”

The sand will be dredged from Jamaica Bay Inlet. The Army Corps said that construction work is likely to begin in August and should be completed sometime this fall. Sections of the beach will be closed while work is underway.

The coastal restoration project in Brighton Beach and Coney Island is part of a larger Army Corps of Engineers effort throughout the northeast to replace more than 26 million cubic yards of sand in areas impacted by Sandy. More than seven million cubic yards will be restored in New York State alone.

In addition to the practical benefits, the restoration of the pre-Sandy coastline is an important milestone for local residents, Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said. “We’ve worked so long and so hard for normalcy to return to our community. This is another reason to celebrate our resiliency. The beach will look the way it used to, and what’s even better it that it’ll protect us for the future.”