'Jonse Beach'? Misspelled LI parkway sign directs motorists

Long Islanders heading to the beach for some summer fun are doing double takes. A new sign on the Robert Moses Causeway is directing them to iconic . . . Jonse Beach?

The goof has become a social media sensation -- and an embarrassment for the state Department of Transportation.

Jeena Belil, 45, of Brookhaven, saw a photo of the misspelled sign on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. The former English major was disappointed. "I was in shock that somebody didn't proofread it before the sign was hung up," she said.

The brown sign, hung over the causeway's southbound lanes on Captree Island directs vehicles to merge west onto Ocean Parkway.

A state Department of Transportation official said the sign was posted recently and will be fixed with an adhesive overlay in the next few days at no additional cost.

DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post, who learned about the blunder Thursday, said employees are supposed to inspect the signs before they are posted.

In the meantime, attendance at the popular South Shore beach shouldn't suffer, said George Gorman, deputy regional director of the state parks system.

"We don't believe it will have any impact on visitors going to Jones Beach," he said.

Belil said she didn't bother calling state officials about the sign. "That's the beauty of social media -- somebody important will see it and do something about it," she said.