The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District’s Commander, Col. Thomas Asbery and staff briefed Congressman Max Rose last Friday on the South Staten Island coastal storm risk management project funded following Hurricane Sandy and moving closer to construction.
“Appreciate the New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers giving me a tour of East Shore Seawall site today so we can continue working together to make sure this is built right, and on time,” said Congressman Rose. “ We’re on the 1-yard line in Congress to make sure this project has the long-term stability it needs .”
According to the district, the area has a long history of storm damage and has experienced major damages from various storm events during the last three decades including the Nor’easter of December 1992, the March storm of 1993, and Super Storm Sandy in October 2012.
These storms caused flood damages, loss of structures, large scale emergency evacuations and fatalities within several communities. The area is now increasingly vulnerable to severe damages even from moderate storms, said USACE.
The study area is along the south shore of Staten Island, New York, [Richmond County/Borough of Staten Island, New York City] and covers 13 miles of coastline from Fort Wadsworth to Tottenville and extends along the Lower New York Bay and Raritan Bay.
Draft Feasibility Report
The Draft Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement were publicly released in June 2015. The Final Feasibility Report, Final Environmental Impact Statement, and Final Record of Decision were formally approved by a Director’s Report October 2016, approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works December 2016, and provided for Congressional notification in December 2016.
The Design Phase for preparation of plans and specifications for project construction was initiated in early 2017. Major initial steps during the Design Phase include data gathering for development of construction contract designs; surveys, mapping, utilities, geotechnical subsurface borings, hazardous material assessments, and cultural resource investigations.
A Project Partnership Agreement, necessary for project construction, is currently under coordination with the two project sponsors, both the State of New York and City of New York, and is expected to be executed in 2019. Project Construction is currently estimated to begin in 2020.