Trio of Resilience Alignments Under Consideration at the Battery
Three options for aligning flood protection measures in the vicinity of the Battery are now under consideration, as part of the FiDi and Seaport Climate Resilience Plan being developed by the administration of Mayor Eric Adams.
This “Southern Tie-In” aims to stitch together three adjoining initiatives: the South Battery Park City Resiliency project, the Battery Coastal Resilience initiative (in which the wharf of the historic park is being elevated), and the broader FiDi and Seaport master plan, which seeks to floodproof the nine-tenths of a mile between the Battery and the Brooklyn Bridge. Together, these interlocking defensive measures aspire to form a protective shell around Lower Manhattan, stretching from the Hudson River to the East River, safeguarding the community against rising sea levels and extreme-weather events.
The trio of alignments under consideration for the Battery include two along State Street (one adjacent to buildings; the other hugging the perimeter or the park) and one within the park that cuts through green spaces. All three options would leave part, or all, of the Battery exposed to flooding, in anticipation that resilient park improvements on the floodable side of the barriers will provide protection.
The first alignment option, “State Street/Building Adjacent,” would leave 70 percent of the new flood protection barriers exposed (rather than buried), because existing tunnels and the streetscape would prohibit concealing them. These barriers would incorporate nine gates, which would be closed during flood events. This scenario would leave two subways stations exposed to flooding, along with all of the Battery. It would entail the loss of 50 to 80 trees and cost $2.5 billion to implement.
The second alignment possibility, “State Street/Park Adjacent,” would mean 60 percent of the barriers would be visible, incorporate seven gates, and require the loss of 110 to 150 trees. It would protect all nearby subway stations from flooding, but leave all of the Battery exposed to encroaching waters. This plan would cost $2.7 billion, and (like the first option) take five years to build.
The final scenario, “Park/Battery Upland,” would bury or conceal 85 percent of flood barriers beneath newly created landscape features and incorporate five gates, while protecting 60 percent of the Battery (along with all nearby subway stations) from flooding. This plan would require the loss of between 60 and 90 trees, but might (depending on the final design) require the relocation of two beloved park features: the Battery Urban Farm and the SeaGlass Carousel. It would cost $700 million, and take up to three years to construct.
Two additional scenarios (one that would have left exposed the Battery Playscape and the other circling around State and Whitehall Streets) were considered, but rejected. The first was discarded because of conflicts with the Playscape, existing subway stations, and a proposed new ferry terminal. The second was dropped because it would have left several blocks of buildings vulnerable to flooding.
In a resolution enacted at its March 25 meeting, Community Board 1 urged the Adams administration to “minimize impact on existing gardens and natural surroundings,” regardless of which option is selected, and to “collaborate with the Battery Park Conservancy to select least-invasive flood barrier system.”