The terrace surrounding the Fire Island Lighthouse has been made safer after a $1.2 million rehabilitation project/NPS

Five years after Hurricane Sandy flooded and damaged the lighthouse at Fire Island National Seashore in New York, a $1.2 million project to rehabilitate a terrace at the southwest corner of the structure has been completed, the park announced Friday.

"About 4,000 bricks were removed from the southwest corner of the exterior terrace wall," said Fire Island facility operations specialist Dennis Mott, "which allowed us to strengthen the substructure that was flooded during Hurricane Sandy."

Ocean Construction LLC completed the project, which included bolstering the terrace substructure, repairing sections of the exterior brick wall, and resetting the historic Connecticut Bluestone terrace pavers to provide a safer entranceway and improve drainage.

The Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society provided an additional $17,475 to restore the paver stones on the front porch of the Keepers Quarters.

The Fire Island Lighthouse area offers exhibits, a nature trail, interpretive and curriculum-based programs. The lighthouse is operated by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and is open daily. The lighthouse is located on the west end of Fire Island National Seashore and is accessible year-round by car. Parking is available at Robert Moses State Park in parking field #5 for a fee.