Newtown Creek surge barrier (
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Mayor Bloomberg plans to spend a massive sum during his last six months in office to protect the city from the devastating impacts of another major hurricane, including building flood walls, levees and dunes — and elevating an entire neighborhood along the East River.
The mayor intends to shell out $19.5 billion in city and federal aid — $15 billion of which has already been earmarked — for his post-Sandy agenda, most of which would have to be completed by his successor.
Bloomberg’s administration said the mayor would seek the additional funds from the federal government or consider selling bonds.
Bloomberg wants to create 37 coastal protection defenses for $3.7 billion, including a $1 billion storm-surge barrier at Newtown Creek on the Brooklyn-Queens border, which flooded after Sandy.
“A surge barrier at the mouth of Newtown Creek would dramatically reduce storm flooding in these neighborhoods,” he said during a lengthy speech inside the sweltering Duggal Greenhouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Bloomberg also suggested 15- to 20-foot levees to guard sections of Staten Island, which sustained some of the most serious damage in Sandy’s wake. That would cost about $400 million.
The project, which would not be finished during his tenure, would be complemented by “a strong system of permanent levees, floodwalls and other protective measures . . . along the east shore of Staten Island,” Bloomberg said.
Staten Island and the hard-hit Rockaways would be home to shoreline dunes under Bloomberg’s blueprint.
The mayor’s plan includes a $250 million surge barrier at the mouth of Jamaica Bay, where Sandy’s wrath devastated Howard Beach and Broad Channel in Queens.
For parts of Manhattan and Red Hook, he proposed permanent and removable flood walls.
“These will be built of permanent elements, like planters and elevated esplanades as well as temporary walls with removable panels,” he said.
“Eventually, as more resources are secured, we imagine extending these systems up the Harlem River, around the West Side of Manhattan and elsewhere in the city.”
The mayor suggested elevating a portion of the East Side with landfill to shield it from rising waters. The specific area has not been determined yet, but could wrap around lower Manhattan to Battery Park City.
He dubbed the experiment “Seaport City,” and said it would mirror Battery Park City, which mostly survived Hurricane Sandy despite its proximity to the East and Hudson rivers.
Bloomberg also wants to give $1.2 billion in grants to property owners for flood-proofing their homes.
None of the Democrats vying to succeed him promised to complete his mission.