A mild winter and previously completed replenishment projects have left the Jersey Shore in great shape for the start of the summer tourism season.

Coastal experts say most beaches are nice and wide as a result of years of replenishment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that kicked into high gear after Superstorm Sandy devastated the coast in 2012.

Places like Point Pleasant Beach and Ortley Beach have wider beaches than they've had in years.

The replenishment projects pump sand ashore to widen beaches to provide space for recreation, and help protect property.

Jon Miller, a coastal expert with Stevens Institute of Technology, says even in spots where beaches have eroded somewhat, the sand that forms sand bars offshore helps blunt the force of incoming waves.

State officials say that thousands of people are expected at the shore for Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial start to the summer season.