SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, NADLER, JEFFRIES, SAVINO, BROOK-KRASNY, TREYGER ANNOUNCE $25 MILLION ARMY CORPS CONTRACT AWARDED FOR CONEY ISLAND T-GROIN PROJECT TO HELP PROTECT SHORELINE
Schumer, Gillibrand, Nadler, Jeffries Have Secured Full Federal Funding
for Critical Project; Much-Needed Project —Long Championed By Rep.
Nadler--- Will Help Provide Critical Beach Restoration, Allow Construction
of Rock Jetties and Sand Replenishment Along Brooklyn Shoreline from West
37 Street to Norton Point
Lawmakers Announce Army Corps Contract for Project to Help Protect Waterfront
Communities in Brooklyn That Were Hammered by Superstorm Sandy; Contract
Award Means Construction Will Soon Be Underway
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressmembers Jerrold
Nadler and Hakeem Jeffries, NYS Senator Diane Savino, NYS Assemblyman
Alec Brook-Krasny and NYC Councilmember Mark Treyger announced this week
that a $25,155,385 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract has been awarded
for the Coney Island t-groins project. The project means critical repairs
and emergency beach restoration for the Coney Island shoreline. In May,
the lawmakers announced that an approved Project Partnership Agreement
had been reached. This is a long-awaited, and critically needed, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers’ project to construct a series of T-Groin
rock jetties that will protect the peninsula and prevent further erosion
that has plagued the shoreline at least since 1992, and that was made
significantly worse during Superstorm Sandy.
The contract has been awarded to H&L Contracting LLC and construction
is expected to begin soon. Schumer, Gillibrand, Nadler, and Jeffries secured
full federal funding for this project, without a single dollar of local
funds. The federal project will help construct rock jetties or T-groin
structures and provide beach replenishment for the Brooklyn shoreline
from West 37th Street to Norton Point.
“Today’s news means that work on this long-fought-for and
much-needed Coney Island-and Seagate flood protection-project will soon
be underway,” said
Senator Schumer. “Superstorm Sandy damaged Brooklyn’s shoreline communities,
like Sea Gate and Coney Island, and I worked hard to ensure projects,
like this one, were funded using Sandy relief funds. My friend, Congressman
Jerry Nadler, has pushed for this for years and literally moved heaven
and earth to make this project a reality, and for this he deserves our
special thanks today. I am relieved a contract has finally been awarded
so that coastline communities like Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Brighton
Beach and Sea Gate can be restored and better fortified to withstand the
next storm as soon as possible.”
“Superstorm Sandy devastated communities throughout New York and left some homes and businesses in Seagate and Coney Island beyond repair,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am pleased the Army Corps of Engineers has awarded this contract that will allow for critical work to be completed to protect the shoreline, prevent further erosion and make repairs to vital infrastructure. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure Coney Island and Seagate are able to rebuild, with even stronger infrastructure that can better withstand future storms.”
“Especially since Coney Island is still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, this beach erosion and replenishment project is truly critical to protect the area’s residents from future storm damage and erosion, and to safeguard our famous beaches,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10). “Even though, after redistricting in 2012, Coney Island was drawn out of my Congressional District, I have continued to fight alongside our two Senators and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries to make sure that Coney Island has the federal funds it needs to fully recover from Superstorm Sandy. After more than 20 years of working with the Army Corps, the State, the City and the Sea Gate Association to make this project a reality, I’m thrilled that we are able to announce this much-needed Army Corps of Engineers contract for the Coney Island t-groins project.”
"This is an important step in the right direction toward restoring our community. In particular, I thank Senator Schumer for his forceful advocacy and Rep. Nadler for his tireless work over the last two decades. We will not rest until the residents of the Coney Island Peninsula are fully protected from the perils of future extreme weather events,” said Congressman Jeffries.
“Superstorm Sandy left not only our Coney Island and Seagate communities in disarray but it raised concerns about the possibility of future storms and their outcomes” said NYS Senator Savino. “Now that we have successfully acquired this contract, we can finally begin the much needed work to protect the shorelines & people living in these great communities and ensure that in the event of future storms our communities will not meet the same fate.”
“I am proud to stand with my colleagues to announce that a $25,155,385 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract has been awarded for the Coney Island t-groins project, that has been so needed since the disaster that was caused by Superstorm Sandy's wake. As both an elected official and a member of the Sea Gate community I saw first hand the damage and devastation that my neighbors and even my own family were forced to deal with in the aftermath of Sandy. I am optimistic that this is a great stride in protecting the entire peninsula from potential impact caused by future natural disasters. I am confident that we will come back better and stronger than before,” said Assemblyman Brook-Krasny.
"This will provide tremendous relief and protection for the Sea Gate and Coney Island waterfront, which were decimated during Superstorm Sandy, as well as for the entire peninsula. This is another great step as we use proven measures to prepare our coastal communities for the next major storm. This is not only good news for Sea Gate, but for all areas of the peninsula that were inundated by the storm surge during Superstorm Sandy. As I have said before, this unprecedented storm will require an unprecedented response, so my thanks to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Rep. Jeffries and all of my colleagues for recognizing this need and working to secure Sandy relief funds for this vital project. I will work with my partners in government to ensure that additional measures are added along the entire peninsula as we continue to fortify and protect our coastline,” said Councilmember Treyger.
In the fall of 2013, Sandy emergency funds were used to place nearly 600,000
cubic yards of sand at Coney Island from Corbin Place to W. 37th Street
to restore the project to its authorized design profile.
The Coney Island Reach project, which extends from West 37th Street to
Brighton Beach, consists of approximately 3 miles of beachfront which
provides storm damage reduction to the densely populated communities and
infrastructure located along the shoreline of Coney Island. The beaches
and dunes were last nourished in 1995. The Army Corps needs to repair
lost beach and construct a raised berm, as well as constructing additional
protections.
Federal funding will go towards constructing four stand-alone T-groin
structures, one rock spur off the existing West 37th Street groin, additional
stone armoring of the existing Norton Point dike, and removal of beach
fill currently accumulated in front of the Gravesend Bay bulkheads, and
dredging sand from the nearby Federal navigation channel in Rockaway Inlet.
This beach fill will be placed along approximately 2,000 linear feet of
the Atlantic Ocean shoreline within the new T-groin field.
In 2012, Schumer and Gillibrand met with Army Corps of Engineers and laid
out a series of projects already authorized by Congress, including the
Coney Island project, that must be started quickly.
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