Seawall Surrounding Roberto Clemente State Park to be Replaced

by Kelsey Schappell | 06/06/2014 | 3:15pm

Seawall Surrounding Roberto Clemente State Park to be Replaced

The 2,200-foot-long wall will be replaced with a more resilient design.

A new hurricane season is here, but the Bronx's Roberto Clemente State Park is still recovering from Superstorm Sandy nearly two years ago. 

State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said the seawall surrounding the base of the elevated park along the Harlem River took a big hit during the storm. 
 
"This park did maybe the most important work that a park could do in acting as a buffer for all the infrastructure behind it," said Harvey. "But in absorbing the flooding, it sustained big damages."
 
The seawall will now be replaced with a stronger one. The $46.5 million project, financed by federal storm recovery funds, will also include new landscaping and updated facilities.
 
"We have to rebuild better, we have to rebuild stronger, and we have to... use the natural processes, use nature to be part of the filter and the sponge and the prevention of flood damage. That's just what we've done in this design," Harvey said. 
 
Construction will start in the fall and is expected to take two years to complete.
 

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