New York governor Andrew Cuomo has announced $151m in funding for a multi-use elevated promenade in Staten Island that he said would strengthen the city’s flood defences.
The 11km boardwalk will link Fort Wadsworth and Oakwood Beach and will protect communities from coastal flooding and create wetland habitats and recreational amenities including biking and walking paths and easy access to public beaches.
The wall will be built up to 6m above sea level to protect against a storm at least the size of Hurricane Sandy, which flooded the city in 2012 and caused about $70bn of damages to the US.
The promenade can support a range of recreational activities, including outdoor concerts, beer and food tastings, cultural festivals, nature walks, seaside carnivals, bike races, environmental education and marathons.
The Department of Environmental Conservation will hold a series of interactive community-based design forums to allow members of the community to offer direct input into the final design of the seawall promenade and participate in the development of the project.
A final design is due to be agreed in the winter of 2018.
Construction is slated to begin in 2019 and be completed in 2022.
Images courtesy of New York State
