City breaks ground on flood barriers as 10-year Sandy anniversary nears

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday commemorated the forthcoming anniversary of Superstorm Sandy by breaking ground on barriers to protect shores near the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges — and he is hoping the federal government will help fund the $8.5 billion plan for “pre-disaster mitigation.”

Speaking at the edge of Manhattan’s Two Bridges neighborhood, Adams described the storm’s wrath — and how witnessing the devastation firsthand motivated him to try to avert another similar disaster in New York City.

“Ten years ago this week, New Yorkers saw what a storm — supercharged by climate change — can do to a city,” Adams said.

The project for which Adams broke ground Wednesday is called Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience, a combination of the flood walls and flip-up barriers to protect the neighborhood, which is especially prone to flooding, from a 100-year coastal storm surge.

The barrier project, costing about $522 million, accounts for anticipated sea-level rise, which is expected by 2050, while also maintaining waterfront visibility, his office said in a news release.

Thomas J. Foley, commissioner of the city’s Department of Design and Construction, says construction on the project is expected to be done in 2026.

The project is a continuation of plans started during the administration of Adams’ predecessor, Bill de Blasio.

Sandy, which measured 1,000 miles wide, made landfall in the city Oct. 29, 2012 — with a wind field three times the size of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Sandy killed 44 New Yorkers and flooded 51 miles, or 71%, of city land, cut power to 2.5 million residents, in addition to $19 billion in damage and lost economic productivity. The storm also displaced 35,000 city residents — some permanently — and damaged over 9,100 homes.

At a news conference Wednesday, with the East River nearby, Adams said he wants the federal government to create what his office called “a coastal infrastructure formula funding program” that would help pay for the $8.5 billion plan for the city.

"Because this isn't a problem that can be solved on just New York City's dime, it must be a problem that must be faced by the entire federal government, as we look at the coastal cities,” Adams said.

Among the storm-prevention projects he hopes the money will fund are to protect flood-prone spots in Coney Island, East Harlem, Bushwick, the Manhattan waterfront and elsewhere in the five boroughs.

Adams said that the flip-up barriers are operated both with a button and can be deployed manually.

Asked what happens if stormwater surpasses what the barriers can contain, Adams laughed. “If the water goes over the 9 feet,” Adams said, “I would say, run!” 

In some parts of the city, the storm surge from Sandy reached as much as an estimated 14 feet.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.