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$23 Million Beach Replenishment Project Under Way At Robert Moses State Park

BAY SHORE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Temperatures plunged again on Thursday. But once the seemingly never-ending winter does come to an end, a popular Long Island beach will be ready.

As WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported, summer preparation is under way at Robert Moses State Park. Roughly 400,000 cubic yards of sand is being dredged and will pumped on to hurricane-damaged beaches.

$23 Million Beach Replenishment Project Under Way At Robert Moses State Park

"Specifically, we're putting it at the water tower between fields three and four. We needed a good sand replenishment program to protect it for the long-term, and that's what we're doing," New York State Parks Department spokesman George Gorman said. "Lots of sand. We should be in good shape."

The $23 million sand replenishment project is badly needed, given the harsh winter we've had, Gorman said. The state allocated the federal funding for the project.

"It's been a long, brutal winter. People want to get out, they're really chomping at the bit to get out," he told Xirinachs. "We hope that we'll get at least five to 10 years out of this so that we won't have to worry about erosion for a while."

The sand will be used to build dunes to protect the community.

The dredging will run around the clock until April 1, said Gorman. The sand will then be blasted onto the beaches using a mile-long pipe.

Memorial Day is 12 weeks away.

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