Canadian consultant Stantec has been selected for a $129m contract to improve New York City’s flood defences.
The contract for the Battery Coastal Resilience Project, awarded by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, is one of a number of schemes under way to improve Manhattan’s flood resilience.
It will involve a four-year project to redesign a waterfront esplanade and lift it 5ft above its current 11ft elevation, as well as improving drainage and integrating the new wharf into Battery Park, at the south of the island.
Gary Sorge, Stantec’s discipline leader for landscape architecture, said: "Increases in extreme weather events are bringing resiliency to the top of city agendas across the world.
"Stantec is in a strong position to meet those needs and has been bringing forward both green and grey infrastructure solutions that will protect the drivers of our economies, our cities. It takes a truly interdisciplinary approach to make communities both resilient and livable for future generations."
Brian O’Donnell, Stantec’s principal-in-charge, added: "Current sea level rise projections show that the Battery sits in a particularly vulnerable location and needed wharf reconstruction provides a timely opportunity to protect the Battery’s unique character and usability for years to come."
Stantec is involved in other coastal future-proofing projects in New York, including the Raise Shorelines Citywide project and a waterfront reconstruction project in Newtown Barge Park.
Image courtesy of Stantec
