Posted on February 25, 2020
Stantec is leading a design team for a U.S. $165-million project to rebuild and raise the existing wharf and esplanade on the waterfront at Lower Manhattan’s Battery Park to protect the area from rising high tides resulting from climate change.
The Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Battery project will span one third of a mile of waterfront at the 25-acre park and raise the esplanade by five feet. The project is slated to start in late 2021 and take 1.5 to two years to complete.
Several complex issues will be addressed in the design, including in-water construction, interior drainage and integration of the new wharf elevation with the park, Greg Sprich, principal and civil engineer at Stantec, says.
“Likely the biggest construction challenge is phasing construction in a manner that it will not impact all of the tourism operations that are happening at Battery Park,” he says, pointing out that includes water taxi and various boat cruise line operations from the park.
He says as sections of the wharf are removed, the remaining portions will be shored up to maintain the wharf’s operation throughout construction. The elevated wharf will include sheet piling and rip-rap protection.
Sprich says paramount is that the design can adapt over time to deal with the progressive rise of tides and sea level.
Stantec’s New York City office is handling the project through various departments including civil and structural marine engineering and its landscape architecture division. A team of subconsultants could include archaeologists, historic preservationists, art conservationists and those acting on behalf of public outreach and for environmental review.
Source: coastalnewstoday.com
