OFFICIALS SEEK SECOND OPINION ON LOWER EAST SIDE FLOOD BARRIER

Crains: Manhattan officials want a second opinion on a $1.3 billion flooding resiliency plan pushed by the de Blasio administration that would reshape part of Lower Manhattan.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilwoman Carlina Rivera announced Monday that they have hired a consultant to assess the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. Hans Gehrels of the Dutch environmental group Deltares has already begun a review of the project, which would add a flood barrier up to 13 feet high along a roughly 2.5 mile stretch of coastline between Montgomery and East 25th streets.

The city announced significant revisions to the project last September, following a nearly four-year review. The new plan, according to the city, would save construction time, but it’s nearly doubled projected costs to meet the deadline mandated by federal funding. This sudden shift sparked backlash from residents of neighborhoods near the construction. “People want a separate opinion from that of the city,” Brewer told The CityRead more>>

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