Mayor Adams Announces First Section of East Side Coastal Resiliency Project Completed
Channel: NYC Mayor's Office
Date: 2022-07-18

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES FIRST SECTION OF EAST SIDE COASTAL RESILIENCY PROJECT COMPLETED AS ASSER LEVY PLAYGROUND REOPENS WITH NEW FLOODWALL AND RESILIENT PLAY AREAS

ESCR Project Will Help Protect Communities from Future Storm Surge and Sea-Level Rise, Improve Access Via Expanded Connections Between Communities and Waterfront, Provide Enhanced Public Space with Upgraded Facilities and Resilient Design

Project Will Create Nearly 1,000 New Jobs for New Yorkers

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today celebrated the completion of the first part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project that represents a new class of resilient infrastructure for New York City. The project will offer coastal protection that protects New York City’s waterfront neighborhoods from devastating storm surge and regular tidal flooding, while also improving accessibility, increasing ecological diversity, and delivering improved recreational amenities to a vibrant and highly diverse community. The entire project — expected to be complete in 2026 — is also creating nearly 1,000 new jobs in New York City and has involved a multitude of city agencies, including the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ), the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), and the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT).

Asser Levy Playground is home to the northern end of the ESCR Project, a $1.45 billion project that will  create a 2.4-mile flood barrier of berms, floodwalls, moveable gates and raised parkland that will protect 110,000 East Side residents — including 28,000  NYCHA residents — from future storms and tidal flooding. Of the $1.45 billion, $338 million of funding is being provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The entire span of the ESCR project — located within the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 100-year floodplain — will incorporate 18 movable gates from Asser Levy Playground (located along Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive from East 23rd Street to East 25th Street) down to Montgomery Street. The entire project is being installed in phases to ensure the community has access to recreational areas during construction. This project is a crucial part of the Adams administration’s work to ensure that New York City is better prepared to withstand the impacts of climate change. 

Asser Levy Playground now features 320 feet of new floodwall, along with a new 79-foot-long, 45-ton sliding steel floodgate. The first protective flood gate — measuring 42 feet and weighing 16 tons — was installed as part of the flood wall near Stuyvesant Cove Park in February. Once ESCR is completed, the floodgate will be closed ahead of any future flooding event. The wall will protect the adjacent Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus and Hospital, as well as the park's recreation center and outdoor pool, allowing it to stay online after a major storm. The playground and basketball court areas have also been rebuilt with resilient materials and play equipment that has been designed to withstand future flooding. In the event of a storm, the playground will be able to reopen more quickly due to these new resiliency features.

The ESCR project is also upgrading East River Park, Corlears Hook Park, Murphy Brothers Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park, and other open spaces in the area, making them more resilient and accessible for all, while adding new and improved amenities, including improved waterfront access through reconstructed bridges and entry points. East River Park will be elevated approximately eight feet with upgraded recreational facilities, new passive-use areas, and approximately 2,000 trees — including 50 different species selected for their ability to withstand salt spray and extreme weather. The ESCR project will also build footings for a future pedestrian bridge elevating the Manhattan Greenway over its narrowest point along the East River, improving community access to the park. 

The level of flood protection provided by ESCR is equal to the region’s “worst-case” anticipated 100-year storm in the 2050s, based on future climate change projections produced by the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), an independent body composed of climate scientists that advises city policymakers on local resiliency and adaptation strategies. The project uses an adaptive design that can accommodate the addition of two more feet of elevation throughout the project area should sea levels in the coming decades rise faster than current projections anticipate.

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Asser Levy Place and East 23th Street
New York, NY 10010

July 18, 2022