Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
A group of city officials and local leaders recently gathered along South Street under the FDR — between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges — for a first-hand look at the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project's future in action.
Representatives from ESCR, the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), and Community Board 3 were on hand as a temporary hydraulic switch was used to raise one of the new deployable flip-up barriers designed to protect Lower Manhattan from storm surges and rising sea levels.
The larger Big U project will eventually cover several miles, from Asser Levy Playground down around Battery Park City, blending protective infrastructure with new, raised park space.
The demonstration site, situated just off the East River Esplanade, currently features exposed rebar where a permanent, protected panel box will be installed in the future.
Once completed, the system will allow the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to deploy the gates quickly — within an hour — when severe weather threatens. The DEP will oversee gate operations, with a specially trained team dedicated to monitoring and managing deployments.
The video below provides the best view of the gates in action.
Construction along the ESCR corridor is expected to be complete by 2026.
10 comments:
Too bad Carlina Rivera didn't suggest these flip-up barriers for East River Park before she condoned totally destroying the park by cutting down 1,000 trees, cementing over green grass and. flowers and the areas that served as playing fields for the local youth teams.
exactly what I was thinking !!!!!!
Correct me if I'm mistaken but didn't she manage to slime her way into that group photo? At least we know how she spends her time. Bon voyage councilperson!
The one thing Ms. Rivera is always on board with is a photo op. Everything else - not so much.
That wasn’t a park.
No, Carlina wasn't at this event. Andrea Gordillo, chair of Community Board 3, was present.
The storm barriers look like a good idea but how does one know it will work as planned? There is no real test until crunch time. It seems like all the walls have to perfectly line up and fend off Mother Nature when the next mega storm hits. Hope it works like a dream but skeptical me is reminded of the Mike Tyson quote, " Everybody's got a plan until they get punched in the face."
Daniel - that wasn't a park? Tell that to the 1000's of people who live in the low income housing along the East River who spent their summers there under the shade of the 50+ year old trees having picnics, parties, BBQ's, listening to music, playing games, etc. trying to escape the heat of the summer.
This will just funnel the water somewhere else.
Thank you for your spot on reply to that rather odd "That wasn’t a park" post. And has been noted many a time, there was an approved community plan for the East River Park (from the Con Ed plant to Corlears Hook) Sandy/climate change issue that would have saved the Park instead of destroying it in favor of the ESCR plan.
https://eastriverparkaction.org/save-east-river-park-2/
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