The federal government will reconsider whether dunes need to be built in places where they don't exist now down at the Jersey Shore.

Nearly seven years after Superstorm Sandy whacked the state, most shore towns had to build or rebuild protective sand dunes.

But three areas got a pass.

Manasquan and Belmar do not have dunes protecting their coast, and a privately owned part of Point Pleasant Beach, owned by Jenkinson's Boardwalk, negotiated a deal with state and federal officials to build its own steel retaining wall just under the sand in return for not having to endure a dune on its property.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin a study in October, carrying out a request the state Department of Environmental Protection made in 2015.

AP wire services helped contribute to this report.