Posted on December 20, 2016
By Rachel Shapiro, silive.com
A proposed buried seawall for the East Shore has gotten final approval, graduating from the feasibility phase and entering into the design phase, making progress toward its completion goal of 2021.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just completed the first of three phases to build the seawall from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach, and a levee and floodwall in Oakwood Beach to protect Staten Island from future Hurricane Sandy-like storms.
Construction on the $579 million project is slated to begin in spring 2018, with project completion expected in 2021.
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The federal, state and city governments are splitting the cost — about $376 million, $145 million and $58 million, respectively.
Sen. Charles Schumer successfully lobbied the Army Corps to skip a seemingly unnecessary step in approving the project, taking a month or so off the timeline.
Instead of a burdensome chief’s report, Schumer convinced the Army Corps to instead use an expedited director’s report for its internal review.
He, along with Rep. Daniel Donovan, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President James Oddo announced Tuesday that by skipping that step, the project has moved into the key design phase.
The feasibility phase had considered whether construction was possible, estimated its costs and benefits and completed preliminary engineering work.
Now, during the design phase, engineers and architects will create detailed blueprints and construction plans.
“Staten Islanders can breathe a sigh of relief because the vitally important East Shore seawall project is officially one step closer to becoming a reality,” Schumer said. “I am pleased that the Army heeded our call by quickly signing off on this project, ahead of schedule, so that construction can begin as soon as possible.”
Donovan said, “This project will be transformative for tens of thousands of Staten Islanders, which is why it has had my constant focus for the 18 months I’ve served in Congress. The Army Corps, National Park Service, and city and state agencies have worked collaboratively and at a good pace so far – I expect the progress to continue until the last shovel leaves the ground.”
State lawmakers have called on the governor’s office to include its share of the funding in the 2017 budget, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo will lay out in January.
State Sens. Andrew Lanza and Diane Savino and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis sent Cuomo a letter on Dec. 2, asking for the financial commitment this year.
The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The city budgeted $60 million in FY17 for the project, according to a spokesperson, and de Blasio said, “The Staten Island levee will provide vital protection to the East Shore community — a community that is on the front lines of climate change, as we saw so clearly during Sandy. This complements the more than $20 billion resiliency plan we’re undertaking across the five boroughs to protect our neighborhoods and infrastructure from flooding, sea level rise and other climate risks, helping us create a more resilient, sustainable and equitable New York City.”
Oddo has criticized the time it has taken for government to get this project off the ground and said, “The Army Corps seawall project is one of the most important projects for the future of our borough, as demonstrated in tragic detail by the devastation caused by Sandy. That is why Senator Schumer, Congressman Donovan, and I sent our letter to Assistant Secretary [Jo-Ellen] Darcy back in October, urging the expedited approval of the director’s report. The federal government must do all in its power to remove each and every bureaucratic obstacle standing in the way of a completed line of protection on the East Shore, which is still dealing with the effects of Sandy. The fact that the Assistant Secretary of the Army agreed with us and issued this approval months ahead of schedule is excellent news.”
Source: silive.com
