ICYMI: Floodgate 'Less Likely' Amid North Shore Flooding Fears

GREAT NECK, NY — A proposal to build a massive floodgate in the East River is becoming less likely, federal engineers told a packed crowd of dozens of concerned North Shore residents Thursday evening. The public meeting was held at The Inn at Great Neck on a variety of plans to mitigate flood risks in New York and New Jersey following the devastating Superstorm Sandy.

One of the proposals that appeared in multiple plans from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was to build a surge barrier enclosure in the East River, just west of the Throgs Neck Bridge. The storm surge barrier would stand from sea floor to well above sea-level and the gate would remain open so boats and fish could pass through, closing when storms approached.

But critics of the plan feared the bridge protected New York City at the expense of North Shore communities, including Great Neck and Port Washington. The Port Washington-Manhasset Office of Emergency Management said it was "concerned" about the proposal. If followed through as planned, it could impact low-lying areas, including public spaces and the environment, the agency wrote in a Facebook post.

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