EAST SIDE FLOOD BARRIER DESIGN OVERHAULED BY CITY

The East Village Patch: EAST VILLAGE, NY — The city recently announced major changes to a 2.4-mile flood barrier designed to prevent the Lower East Side from inundating with water during severe storms.

The barrier is part of the city’s East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which stretches from Montgomery Street up to E. 25th Street, with a series of walls, berms, levies and green spaces. The city’s alterations shook up 70 percent of the design for a speedier timeline of one year and raises portions of East River Park, but nearly double the project’s costs, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office.

“The goal is the same and this design is actually an enhancement of that goal,” said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan. “The Department of Design and Construction came to the conclusion that [the project] could be done in a better, quicker way — and it’s working.”

Lower Manhattan was deluged by Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters, leaving scores of businesses wrecked and residents without power. In the wake of the storm, the Obama administrated forged Rebuild by Design and tasked the group with hosting competitions to urge innovative flood protections that would be eligible for federal funding. Check it out>> 

Translate