Oak Bluffs selectmen voted to permanently close East Chop Drive to vehicles; bicycles and pedestrians will still be allowed.

East Chop Drive is closed until further notice due to further deterioration of the bluff caused by the recent gauntlet of northeasters hammering the coast.

Oak Bluffs got an early Christmas present this week from the state, which has awarded $225,000 to fund design work to protect the eroding bluff. The bluff underlies the scenic but endangered East Chop Drive.

In an effort to stall the deterioration of an eroding bluff in Oak Bluffs, the town may keep the seaward side of East Chop drive closed for the summer.

A recent engineering study of the East Chop bluff has revealed further deterioration of the region, which was severely damaged by erosion and major storm events in recent years.

But help may be on its way.

The Oak Bluffs selectmen voted Tuesday to restrict traffic on East Chop Drive to one lane this winter out of concern for the unstable condition of the eroding bluff beneath the road. The vote came as the town continues to wrangle for funding to fix the bluff, and as East Chop residents press for a complete closure of the road this winter.

At a meeting nearly two weeks ago, the East Chop Association voted to recommend that the road be closed between Brewster and Munroe avenues.