Roadway Cleared After Beach Sand Buried Lakeshore Drive During Recent Storm

The storm last weekend seriously damaged the natural beach along Raritan Bay in Cliffwood Beach. High winds blew sand and debris from the shoreline, covering the nearby roadway and coating areas of the park nearby. The township bulldozed the sand off Lakeshore Drive towards the bay side of the street, creating a sandy wall that towers several feet over the barely visible guard rail . Dry reeds are threaded into the guard rails on the park side of the street, demonstrating the immense power of the winds. I've only had a drive by the beach, but I have been told the beach itself is littered with floatables -- plastic bottles, glass bottles, etc -- and not much sand anymore. The Independent has a few lines on the beach erosion issue. The township is hoping for federal monies to fix the shoreline.

In the first shot in the pictures below, you can see the mountains of sand covering the guard rails. The second shot shows how dune grass and trees helped stabilize the beach a bit farther down the road. The bottom picture shows the floatables that invaded the beach during the storm. Thanks to my wife for the pics.