Fire Island to Montauk Point fact sheet

The authorized project provides for hurricane protection and beach erosion control along five reaches of the south shore of Long Island between Fire Island Inlet and Montauk Point, a distance of approximately 83 miles.

The project was authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 14 July 1960 in accordance with House Document 425 and subsequently modified by the River & Harbor Act of 1962, and the Water Resources Development Acts of 1974, 1986 and 1992.

In response to the 2012 Sandy event, The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, provided the required Federal funds to complete the Reformulation study and to complete authorized initial project construction, including stabilization efforts, at 100 percent federal cost.

Dredging of Fire Island, Shinnecock and Moriches inlets and shoals with and placement on Gilgo Beach and Robert Moses State Park was completed April 2023. Contract-4 is scheduled for award in Aug 2024, and contract-3 in June 2025.  Work at Downtown Montauk originally programmed for contract-3 will be accomplished this winter under the FIMI PL84-99 Emergency Response contract.

The Fire Island Stabilization Project consists of a one-time sand placement along Fire Island, from Robert Moses State Park to Smith Point County Park. The Fire Island Stabilization HSLRR and EA were approved July 2014, with a Project Partnership Agreement executed with the State of New York in August 2014.

The first construction contract at Smith Point County Park was completed April 2016. 

The second construction contract at Robert Moses State Park through Saltaire was completed July 2016. The third construction contract at Fair Harbor through Seaview was completed November 2017.

The remaining contracts focus on the Fire Island communities from Ocean Bay Park through Davis Park.  The site preparation contracts for demolitions and relocations in Ocean Bay Park through Davis Park were substantially complete as of July 2019. 

The final beachfill contract of the FIMI project located at Ocean Bay Park through Davis Park was substantially complete in June 2020. The Project’s final contract for relocation of the Ocean Beach water utility was awarded in August 2020.

Previously completed work includes:

MORICHES INLET TO SHINNECOCK INLET: Eleven groins constructed in the Westhampton Beach area in 1965. Additional 4 groins with beach and dune fill placed west of the 11-groin field in 1969-1970. The Westhampton Interim Project, which included groin modification and beach fill within and west of the 15-groin field, was completed in December 1997. The West of Shinnecock Interim Project, which includes beach fill west of the Shinnecock navigation channel, was completed in March 2005.

Current ongoing study effort:

FIRE ISLAND TO MONTAUK POINT (FIMP) REFORMULATION STUDY: The goal of the Reformulation Study is to identify storm risk management within the overall study area. This effort was completed at 100 percent federal expense. The Chief’s Report was signed on July 9, 2020.  After all A Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) was executed with the State of New York in August 2021, with subsequent local agreements with NYSDEC.  Initial construction of the various recommended FIMP project features at 100 percent federal expense are underway. Future renourishment would be executed with 50/50 Non-Federal Partner cost share; the PPA for this is under development at HQ USACE.

State, local, and congressional interests requested that USACE provide immediate remedial actions for critical vulnerable areas. These interim and stabilization actions will be modified, as necessary, based on the ultimate recommendations of the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) Reformulation Study.