SI Advance: A $107 million resiliency plan designed to blunt the power of waves during extreme weather has made steady progress since it broke ground in late 2021 and is nearing a completion date late next year.

The “Living Breakwaters” project, a series of eight separate in-water structures spanning 2,400 linear feet off the South Shore of Staten Island, was slated to be completed by the end of 2024 but is currently proceeding ahead of schedule, according to Kevin Robinson, the project manager for Weeks Marine, the company responsible for construction.

Using a combination of engineering, massive stones and ecologically-enhanced concrete, the effort is expected to reduce the impact of waves, foster habitat for marine life and mitigate beach erosion.

“Since we last were in Tottenville to celebrate the start of construction in late 2021, we’ve made tremendous progress on the Living Breakwaters, which is already bringing marine life back to the Raritan Bay, helping to rebuild the shoreline, and reducing the strength of life-threatening waves,” said New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas.

“As we mark the halfway point of construction on this project, we are grateful for the support of the Tottenville community and local stakeholders and look forward to our continued work together to protect New Yorkers from future storms,” said Visnauskas. Read more>>