With the Norton Point breach now closed, vehicle traffic is again allowed on the barrier beach connecting Edgartown and Chappaquiddick.

The closure of the Norton Point breach on Chappaquiddick after eight years will likely benefit oyster farms and shorebirds in one of the Island’s most pristine natural environments, several experts said this week.

As of early in the morning on April 2, Chappaquiddick was no longer an island completely separated from Martha’s Vineyard. Nearly eight years after a northeaster cut a breach in the three-mile barrier beach that connects Edgartown with the smaller island, the Norton Point breach had closed.

The blizzard of 2015 spared Norton Point, the long barrier beach that is about to reconnect Chappaquiddick to the rest of the Vineyard, from further breaching. Chris Kennedy, superintendent for The Trustees of Reservations, reported Thursday that the breach remained as it was before the storm.

The Norton Point breach has been part of an ongoing cycle of nature. The current breach began seven years ago, and as a result erosion on Chappaquiddick has intensified.

Fees are going up for over-sand vehicle permits, as the Trustees of Reservations work to enhance stewardship and generate more revenue for the fragile barrier beach. The county commission approved hikes to annual permits, but held off on approval for daily pass increases.