According to a report on NY1, plans to build a flood barrier along the East River have been scaled back and the timetable for beginning construction has been delayed.
Back in 2014, the federal government awarded New York City $335 million for the first phase of the project, extending from East 24th Street to Montgomery Street. The idea was to create a series of berms and floodwalls in East River Park and to build new bridges to better connect the community to the park. Here’s part of the report filed last night:
…disputes within de Blasio’s administration are said to be disrupting an already tight timeline. Documents from late-2014 show development and construction should have started in June. Now, there’s no construction, and plans are scaled back. There won’t be any new bridges over the FDR Drive, although the city wants to improve some existing ones. Delays appear to continue. A city document from mid-July had a draft environmental impact statement release pegged for this summer. But another document released Thursday said winter. It’s a tweak, perhaps, on a complex project, but the city doesn’t have unlimited time.
NY1 spoke with Dan Zarrili, the city’s chief resilience officer, who said, “We’re working through a lot of complicated issues, but we are committed to seeing this through. He acknowledged that the city must meet deadlines set by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Zarrili added that the administration is moving “as quickly as possible” to resolve some of the bureaucratic issues.
More to come…
