By Aaron Applegate The Virginian-Pilot March 31, 2015

NORFOLK

It's been a long time coming, but the city's Ocean View beaches are finally getting more sand.

Thank Hurricane Sandy, or at least the federal money that flowed after the 2012 disaster.

Starting in November, roughly 7 miles of Chesapeake Bay beaches between Little Creek inlet and Willoughby Spit will be widened by 60 feet. The project is scheduled to be finished by May 2016.

The 1.2 million cubic yards of sand will come from the bottom of the nearby Thimble Shoal shipping channel.

If you have trouble imagining just how much sand that is, Chuck Joyner, Norfolk's assistant engineer, can help:

"It's a football field stacked with 560 feet of sand," he said.

The main purpose is for storm protection, but the extra sand will also create more room for beachgoers, Joyner said.

Mayor Paul Fraim called it the city's "single-biggest investment in beaches to date" at a Monday afternoon news conference.

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More sand coming to Ocean View beaches