Gilgo State Park, wracked by recent storms, reopens

Gilgo enthusiasts can rejoice: The oft-eroded state park in Babylon beloved by four-wheel drivers, anglers and surfers reopened Friday at 4 p.m. after a brief closure, said George Gorman, Long Island regional director, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Work crews were finishing the replenishing of sand lost this week to Ida around the entrance roadway, near the riprap and foundation left over by the former U.S. Coast Guard Station, he said.

"And we will be stationing staff along the beach to monitor traffic and ensure there are no issues," Gorman said.

The park frequently erodes, prompting shutdowns that can last a few years until sand is replenished. It had been closed since Aug. 24, after the deluge called Henri narrowed a few sections of the beach, but Gorman said that now, the high tides have receded enough to allow vehicles to return.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not immediately available to say when it next may replace sand lost to storms, a process accelerated by the remains of the 1920s Coast Guard Station.