Dune Road Flooding Woes Eased As Shinnecock Inlet Dredge Begins

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — Hope is on the horizon for storm-socked Dune Road: On Monday, Rep. Lee Zeldin will join Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and other elected officials to kick off a Shinnecock Inlet dredge.

The dredge will include the placement of an estimated 600,000 cubic yards of sand just west of Shinnecock Inlet; the project will restore the area to its 2005 authorization level, a 15-foot high dune with an associated 140-foot wide beach berm from the toe of the dune, which would be a "better, more robust outcome" than simply restoring the area to its recent 2019 pre-storm level, Zeldin said.

Last month, the United States Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $10.7 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company for the completion of the project, expected to wrap up the the end of March, weather permitting, Zeldin said.

Great Lakes, he added, brought in a cutterhead dredge to perform the beach replenishment work at WOSI, ensuring no impacts to other projects currently underway at Westhampton Beach and Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet.

The area has seen breaches in recent months, including one that led to a seal becoming trapped.

Back in December, Schneiderman said the ACE had gotten an emergency waiver to reduce their procurement process from 90 days down to 10 days.

The dune has washed out by the commercial dock during recent storms; during one incident, a 30-foot wide section opened completely, the supervisor said.

"The area at the east end of Dune Road remains extremely vulnerable and we are watching the weather and tides very closely," Schneiderman has said, when imploring all levels of government for help. "The town lacks the resources to prevent a breach in this area and we are calling for assistance from county, state and federal agencies."

In November, elected officials gathered on Dune Road to assess the ongoing need for help in an area that has seen nearly catastrophic flooding. The visit followed multiple recent storms that caused severe damage to the dunes along the ocean side and led to severe flooding and a near breach of the barrier island just west of Shinnecock Inlet where many small businesses and jobs are located, including the second largest commercial dock in New York State, Zeldin said.

Absent the planned major beach restoration effort as designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the WOSI project, "this area will be the latest breach in the barrier island, threatening lives, destroying natural resources and severing critical infrastructure," the supervisor said.

In October, the first in a series of massive storms sparked major flooding on Dune Road, prompting the first local state of emergency declared.

"The sand barrier is thin and will not withstand a minor storm," the supervisor said. "We need federal help with this from the United States Army Corp of Engineers."