It could be a lost summer for Gooseberry Island lovers, as the causeway over to the island will remain closed until state officials can better study the damage done to it by Winter Storm Elliott in December. They don't say when the work will conclude.

The Thomas E. Pettey Causeway, which connects Gooseberry to the state's Horseneck Reservation and West Beach Road, has been closed since three days before Christmas, after Elliott caused indeterminate structural damage to the causeway, a chainlink fence and a monument at the site. The storm also caused major damage to West Beach Road, which lost pavement and had to be cleared of many thousands of cobblestones kicked up by the storm.

The causeway is managed by the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation. On Friday, DCR spokeswoman Ilyse Wolberg said there is no timeline for its reopening.

"Due to safety concerns, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will keep the causeway closed to vehicular traffic until further assessments can be done to determine if further repairs are needed," she wrote in an e-mail to the Shorelines.

Though the island is still open to the public, water lovers must park on the mainland and walk the causeway. If the closure lasts all summer, it would prevent car traffic to the only free beach left in Westport. Though he hadn't heard of the length of the closure, harbormaster Chris Leonard said the closure would be an inconvenience to the many people who like to drive a car over for a picnic, or who launch kayaks from the small ramp on the island's northeast side.

Note: The small parking area next to the causeway is for Westport residents with beach stickers only.  And with no parking on side streets, the number of visitors who can walk to the island will be limited.