East Shore Seawall

The East Shore Seawall, also known as Staten Island Multi-Use Elevated Promenade, is a 5.2-mile (8.4 km) long combined seawall and esplanade proposed for the eastern shoreline of Staten Island, New York. It would run along the Lower New York Bay linking sections of the Gateway National Recreation Area: Fort Wadsworth at the north, Miller Field, and Great Kills Park to the south.^[1][2] It will roughly parallel Father Capodanno Boulevard and the South Beach–Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk.

Temporary berm (2015) in New Dorp Beach, placed after Hurricane Sandy ^[3]

Boardwalk and beach on the East Shore (2009)

The coastal engineering strategy is to address climate change and sea level rise, and improve resilience along the shoreline of the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary and Port of New York and New Jersey. It will be built up to 6 metres (20 ft) above sea level and protect communities from coastal flooding of up to 15.6 feet (4.8 m) (two feet higher than that caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012). It will includes 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of buried seawall, 0.6 miles (0.97 km) of earthen levee tie-in, 0.35 miles (0.56 km) miles vertical flood wall, more than 300 acres (120 ha) of natural storage, approximately 180 acres (73 ha) of ponding areas and 40 acres (16 ha) acres of tidal wetlands. It will also function as a linear park/greenway with recreational amenities including a boardwalk, biking and walking paths, and will provide access to public beaches.^[2]

The project, a collaboration between the US Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, was first announced in May 2017.^[4][5][6] In 2019, the city allocated $615 million for its design and construction.^[7][8]

Conflicts over environmental remediation has stalled the building of the project, originally projected to be completed in 2024.^[9][10]

Federal legislation to expedite the construction of the seawall was passed in June 2022. It is expected to cost $1.5 billion.^[11][12] Construction was slated to begin at the end of that year.^[13]

See also

• Billion Oyster Project
• Freshkills Park
• Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
• Sea Bright–Monmouth Beach Seawall
• New York Harbor Storm-Surge Barrier

References

1. "South Shore of Staten Island Coastal Storm Risk Management Project". US Army Corps of Engineers New York District. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
2. Porpora, Tracey (September 25, 2019). "Initial East Shore Seawall site work has started". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
3. "New Dorp Beach Temporary Berm Reconstruction". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
4. Smithson, Aaron (August 26, 2019). "USA: Army Corps of Engineers will erect miles of seawalls along Staten Island". PreventionWeb. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
5. "Multi-Use Elevated Promenade on Staten Island Moving Forward". Real State Investments. February 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021.
6. Gannon, Devin (May 31, 2017). "Cuomo announces $151M elevated promenade to improve Staten Island's coastal resiliency". 6sqft. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
7. Whiteman, Hilary (July 14, 2019). "Staten Island seawall: Designing for climate change". CNN. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
8. Bahamondes, Bianca (February 25, 2019). "A 5.3-Mile "Elevated Promenade" On Staten Island Will Break Ground This Year". Secret NYC. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
9. Michel, Clifford (February 15, 2021). "A Five-Mile Seawall Was Supposed to Protect Staten Island by 2021. A Fight Over Radiation Cleanup Stands in the Way". The City. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
10. Liotta, Paul (August 10, 2021). "A new hope for East Shore seawall project? Schumer says incoming Army civil works boss has committed to speed up work". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
11. Liotta, Paul (June 9, 2022). "House passes legislation expediting East Shore Seawall project". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
12. "Feds to pay 90% of new costs for S.I. Seawall as expected price tag climbs past $1.5B". DredgeWire. December 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
13. Liotta, Paul (July 27, 2022). "Construction set to start on East Shore Seawall resiliency project by end of the year". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.

External links

• Summary Report, Resilient Neighborhoods, East Shore Staten Island, April 2017
• Shoreline Parks Plan A Plan for the East Shore of Staten Island
• South Shore of Staten Island, N.Y. Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project USCE New York District January 4, 2023

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