Manhattan Shoreline Extended In Mayor's Massive Climate Plan

LOWER MANHATTAN — A climate change protection plan that would extend a mile of the Lower Manhattan shoreline was unveiled by Mayor Bill de Blasio just days before he's slated to leave office.

The 190-page plan released Wednesday "reimagines the shoreline of Lower Manhattan and creates a resilient waterfront to withstand severe coastal storms and rising sea levels," according to a press release from the Mayor's office.

Notably absent from the document is any concrete plan to tear down the FDR Drive: a long-held goal by some neighborhood advocates that was rumored to be under consideration, according to a report last month by THE CITY.

The current mayor's plan includes only an acknowledgement that residents wanted the city to "study the impacts of replacing the FDR Drive viaduct" and its elevated highway.

Completing the Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan is estimated to cost $5-7 billion, the press release said. Lower Manhattan's shoreline is expected to "experience frequent tidal flooding" by the 2040s, de Blasio's office said, and rising waters could make much of the area unusable by 2100.

At the core of the plan is extending the shoreline of the East River along about a mile of waterfront from The Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge, to create space for flood defense measures.

The upper level of the waterfront will be elevated to protect against severe storms, and also serve as a public space. The lower level will "protect against sea level rise while connecting New Yorkers to the water's edge," de Blasio's office said.

The master plan also includes flood walls built into the landscape, creating ridges along the waterfront to shield Lower Manhattan from coastal storms; new stormwater infrastructure; "resilient" ferry terminals and piers; coves to protect the ecology of the East River; and new public open spaces with accessible entrances and pathways.

THE CITY report also notes Mayor-elect Eric Adams released his own waterfront and resiliency plan in September.