After nearly three years of erecting a sea wall to protect against potential catastrophic flooding, the Stuyvesant Cove Park finally opened back up to the public on Wednesday.
Since 2020, the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) have been developing a 2.4-mile-long East Side Coastal Resiliency wall from Montgomery Street up to East 25th Street in order to protect nearby residents and buildings from devastating storm damage, a project that was spurred on by Superstorm Sandy and the damage it wrought in 2012.
On May 31, Stuyvesant Cove Park officially opened, providing 75 newly planted trees, 579 shrubs, 7,095 cubic yards of soil, and 1,180 feet of seating areas. The newly rebuilt greenway now also houses new lighting fixtures to ensure clear visibility due to the flood barriers.
“This is the northernmost section of our East Side Coastal Resiliency Project $1.45 billion endeavor, one of the largest resiliency projects going on in the world,” DDC commissioner Thomas Foley said. “So, an amazing day for New Yorkers, a great day for the community.”
The Stuyvesant Cove Park flood wall is 1,340 feet long and made up of 333 tons of reinforced steel. The barriers also have two flood gates that can be closed during times of potential flood risk, a 42 foot long, 16 ton swinging gate on East 23 Street and a 77 foot long, 47.5 ton sliding gate located on East 20th Street.
Several city council members such as Keith Powers and Carlina Rivera championed the Coastal Resiliency project after they themselves said they suffered with their constituents through Hurricane Sandy. Rivera says she remembers seeing cars float outside of nearby garages and decided then it was imperative the East Side receive protection.
“This has been over 10 years in the making,” Rivera said looking out at the large wall from the waterfront. “There was no question that we were going to come together with the experts of this city, with leaders in government, with advocates and community members, and we were going to ensure that we were protecting our community and families for the next 50 and 100 years. There’s no question a hurricane Sandy, an event like that, will happen again. So, we want to ensure that we have innovative, social infrastructure that is gonna be here for generations to come.”
Members of DDC and EDC joined with the elected officials to cut a ribbon, formally christening the park open. Locals wasted little time enjoying the new area as joggers sprinted beside the East River while others enjoyed the sun on the new benches.
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