The East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project seeks to improve access to the waterfront and enhance public spaces in the community. The ESCR Project is an integrated coastal protection initiative aimed at reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea level rise in Lower Manhattan through a landscape-integrated resiliency approach that combines flood protection infrastructure with park reconstruction and community improvements. It will protect 2.4 miles of shoreline and 110,000 New Yorkers from the impacts of climate change by reducing flood risk to communities, properties, businesses, critical infrastructure, and public open spaces.
As a subconsultant, SI Engineering P.C. (SIE) is providing construction management and resident engineering inspection services for the ESCR project. The project involves installing a reliable flood protection system and improving waterfront open spaces and access to the East River Park. The flood protection system consists of floodwalls, deployable gates, levee and interior drainage upgrades as well as subsurface seepage controls and utility hardening measures designed to maintain system performance during major storm events.
The principal objectives of the project are to provide a reliable coastal flood protection system against storm events for the protected area; improve access to and enhance open space resources along the waterfront, including East River Park and Stuyvesant Cove Park; and respond quickly to the urgent need for increased flood protection and resiliency, particularly for communities that have a large concentration of residents in affordable and public housing units along the project area. In addition to flood protection, the project will strengthen and enhance waterfront spaces by improving accessibility, increasing ecological diversity, and delivering improved recreational amenities to a vibrant and highly diverse community while supporting long-term climate adaptation and multi-benefit resiliency objectives.
The project area begins at Montgomery Street to the south and extends north along the waterfront to East 25th Street and is composed of two (2) sub-areas and the construction of the “parallel conveyance” with two (2) interceptor gates and two gate houses to control stormwater and sewer flows and prevent interior flooding during surge events.
The sub-areas are Project Area One and Project Area Two. Project Area One extends from Montgomery Street on the south to the north end of East River Park at East 14th Street. Project Area One consists primarily of the FDR Drive right-of-way, a portion of Pier 42, part of Corlears Hook Park, and East River Park, inclusive of structures such as the Delancey Street and East 10th Street bridges, Corlears Hook Bridge, East Houston Street Overpass, and local streets with pedestrian connectivity improvements, including ADA-accessible bridge upgrades completed through phased construction. Project Area Two extends north and east from Project Area One, from East 15th Street to East 25th Street. Project Area Two includes Asser Levy and Murphy Brothers playgrounds, Stuyvesant Cove Park, a Con Edison Facility, and local streets.
Within Project Area One, the project intends to transform the park space to be suitable for public use while the construction phasing plan closes other sections of East River Park requiring phased staging, coordination with utilities and transportation, and maintaining community access. The scope of work includes raising the park up to nine (9) feet, installation of floodwall and gates, esplanade reconstruction, CSO and utility work, and coordination with Con Edison to create an elevated protective berm system that conceals flood infrastructure within the landscape. The recreation space will be in place for at least five (5) years, and the transplanted trees will not be moved back to their original locations. The areas transformed under this contract will be raised to match the new grade of the park as part of the overall project.
