Bay Ridge

Feds inspect Shore Road Promenade

Waterfront is site of frequent flooding, officials say

September 23, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (left) and state Sen. Marty Golden (right) speak with an Army Corps of Engineers representative.
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Experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspected the Shore Road Promenade on Tuesday with an eye toward identifying locations that could be repaired under a resiliency program.

The Shore Road Promenade is a concrete pedestrian-bike path located along the shoreline in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst running adjacent to the Belt Parkway.

U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-C-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) requested the inspection and accompanied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives on their tour of the waterfront area.

The contingent was joined by leaders of Community Board 10 from Bay Ridge and Community Board 11 from Bensonhurst, as well as state Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn), Councilmember Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-parts of Bensonhurst), and representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the New York City Parks Department, and the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.

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The Shore Road Promenade frequently floods during major storms, according to local officials.

“The Belt Parkway services thousands of commuters every day, and could be the evacuation route for hundreds of thousands during a major storm. I’m encouraged that the Army Corps and the city sent their experts this morning to begin analyzing potential solutions,” Donovan said in a statement.

A 2007 federal law, the Water Resources Development Act, authorized the U.S. Army Corps of engineers to study the area adjacent to the Belt Parkway for a flood control project.

Parts of the Shore Road Promenade sustained severe damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Repairs were made to the pathway.

In 2015, the Army Corps released a comprehensive study of the entire North Atlantic region, identifying the New York-New Jersey harbor and tributaries areas as high-risk places that require additional analysis.

Donovan said a potential solution to reduce the flood risk to the Belt Parkway would involve elevating the promenade to a more flood-resistant height. The site visit by the Army Corps represented the first step in the analysis process, according to Donovan.

 “I will continue monitoring their progress — the community and drivers deserve a safe and secure parkway,” Donovan said.


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