More Sections of Island Beach Reopened, Beach Access Boardwalk Repairs To Begin

Island Beach State Park has returned to pre-Superstorm Sandy hours and more of the park has been opened to visitors, state Department of Environmental Protection Commission Bob Martin said.

“We are keeping pace with the Christie Administration’s goal of having all of our state parks, including Island Beach State Park, fully operational for the peak summer season,” Martin said. “Having this popular destination getting closer to normal operations is emblematic of the state’s drive to have the Shore open for business this summer.’’

The park is now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for all guests. Fishing access has also been extended to 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The DEP recently awarded a $268,000 contract to a New Brunswick-based Tekton Development Corp., to reconstruct four beach access boardwalks that were severely damaged by Sandy.

Two of the boardwalks are expected to be completed by Memorial Day and the other two by the Fourth of July.

Island Beach was inundated by Sandy's storm surge. All of the toll booths were flooded with a foot and a half of water. Shore Road - which runs the nine-mile length of the park - was choked with sand, up to seven feet in some sections.

The two ocean bathing beach buildings made it through the storm relatively well. But both boardwalks leading to the ocean at the first bathing beach were destroyed and boardwalks at the second bathing beach were damaged. The lifeguard towers at both beaches also took a hit, he said.

The park was closed for almost three months, from Oct. 29 to Jan. 25. The state opened the Ocean Bathing Area 1 and Gillikin's Road to the public on Jan. 25, for walking, sport fishing and four-wheel driving.

Access for beach buggy users now extends extend south to access trail A-23, which is 8.2 miles south into the nearly 10-mile park. All three beach buggy access points - at Gillikin’s Road and trails A-7 and A-23 - are now open.

Visitors now need 2013 mobile sport fishing permits to get on the beach with their vehicles. Permits can be purchased at the main park office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

The park’s two bayside trails at A-15 and A-21 are also open for visitors on foot or those with a permitted watercraft, such as a kayak. A portable restroom facility is also available.

Daily fees will be accepted at the gatehouse on May 1.

Access trails and parking lots at A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5 and A-6 were reopened earlier in April.

The park’s two bayside trails at A-15 and A-21 are also now open for pedestrians or those with permitted watercraft, like a kayak. A portable restroom facility is also available.

Additional trail openings will be announced in the future as restoration efforts progress. Closed trails are marked.

Island Beach State Park Manager Ray Bukowski asks visitors to use caution when driving on Shore Road - the main road through the park - due to increased truck traffic hauling debris, and by the Ocean Bathing Area 2 parking lot due to road sweeping efforts.

Bukowski praised park staff, the New Jersey State Park Service, Friends of Island Beach State Park and the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association for their efforts in cleanup and restoration work.