Sandys damage in the Mantoloking/Avon-By-The-Sea area is seen from Chopper 880 Oct. 31, 2012 (credit: Tom Kaminski / WCBS 880)

MONMOUTH BEACH, N.J. (CBSNewYork) Work has begun to replenish some of the Jersey Shore beaches that were hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy.

As WCBS 880s Jim Smith reported, the more than $8 million project to restore the coastline in Monmouth Beach was approved weeks before Sandy even developed, as part of a six- to eight-year maintenance cycle.

WCBS 880s Jim Smith reports

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said the timing could not have been any better.

Many of those beaches really were heavily damaged Hurricane Sandy, Pallone said.

He said the pre-planned effort takes on new meaning in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

Theyre still vulnerable, Pallone said. If there was another storm, the damage would be a lot worse.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers already had shovels in the ground as of this weekend. Pallone said they have been piling on sand for a critical boost in height.

When the beaches dont have the elevation, they dont provide the protection that they would normally, he said.

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Work Begins To Replenish Beaches On Jersey Shore