Harlem Could Be Lined With Miles Of Floodwalls In New Army Plan

HARLEM, NY — Nearly five miles of flood walls and other barriers could be built along the Harlem waterfront as part of a massive federal plan to protect New York City from major storms and rising sea levels, according to a newly released report.

The report was released Saturday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, detailing a $52 billion plan that also calls for 12 storm surge gates to be built across Jamaica Bay and on waterways near Staten Island.

First reported by Gothamist, the new study reveals that the government has chosen to move forward on one proposal out of five different flood-protection plans that had been considered in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which unleashed billions of dollars of damage in the city in 2012.

The Harlem River component would begin near East 88th Street, on the edge of Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side, and continue uptown for 4.7 miles to the top of the NYCHA Polo Grounds Houses near West 165th Street.

It would include a mixture of flood barriers, floodwalls, seawalls and elevated promenades, according to the report. (The Army Corps defines seawalls as being made of rubble piles, while floodwalls would be reinforced concrete.)

Parts of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, the Newtown Creek near Long Island City, and Manhattan's lower west side would all receive similar treatments as Harlem under the Army Corps plan.

Until Jan. 6, 2023, the Army Corps is asking for feedback on its report, known formally as the NY & NJ Harbor & Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study. Construction would last about 14 years and could begin by 2030, wrapping up in 2044, according to the new report.

While the Army Corps had expected to announce its final plan as early as 2019, the project was delayed for years due to opposition from then-President Donald Trump — then restarted last October by the Biden Administration, Gothamist reported. The chosen plan, known as Alternative 3B, was selected in July, according to Gothamist.

If it is ultimately funded and built, the project would "create the largest and most comprehensive system of coastal protections in the region, while dramatically reshaping New York City’s waterfront," Gothamist reported Monday.

Despite its cost to build, the flood protections would ultimately prevent an average of $6.2 billion in annual storm damage between 2044 and 2093, the report found. Climate change is expected to worsen flooding across the New York City area in the coming decades, with the Hudson River alone predicted to rise at least nine inches by 2050, the report noted.

"As sea levels continue to rise, coastal storms will cause flooding over a larger area and at increased heights than they otherwise would have in the past," the Army Corps wrote.

A more detailed set of maps break down the project's components within Manhattan's East Side: a seawall between East 88th and 90th streets would be followed by an elevated promenade running along the river to 125th Street, followed in turn by a "large floodwall" protruding more than 10 feet above the water until around 133rd Street.

Alternating sets of promenades, seawalls and floodwalls would continue north to 165th Street, according to the plans. It was not clear whether the "elevated promenades" referred to existing portions of the East River Esplanade or newly built structures.

This would not be the first infrastructure project to consider future flooding in East Harlem: the Army Corps report mentions the city's 2019 Vision Plan for a Resilient East Harlem, which has informed planning for the new Harlem River park being built north of 125th Street and the reconstruction of Pier 107 and the East River Esplanade above East 94th Street.

While it did not suffer as badly as parts of outer Brooklyn and Queens, Harlem was affected by Hurricane Sandy's widespread flooding a decade ago, including totaled cars and damage to the NYCHA Metro North Plaza and East River Houses.

Read more about the flood-prevention plan at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website.

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

Related coverage:

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• East Harlem Waterfront Repairs Languish As Esplanade Crumbles