Staten Island Bluebelt project fueled with $1M in federal funding

Earth Day gifted Staten Island blue skies, puffy clouds, and a refreshing breeze, setting the scene for Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) $1 million announcement to reconstruct Ocean Breeze’s streets to help the Mid-Island Bluebelt.

Staten Island’s Bluebelt system is an innovative network of green infrastructure that uses natural drainage corridors to take pressure off the city’s sewer system.

“New York City’s Bluebelt system has helped fortify Staten Island and lessened the severity of flooding, particularly for residents in the Midland Beach and Ocean Breeze communities who know the devastating effects of severe storm water all too well,” Malliotakis said in a written statement.

“I’m proud to have secured $1 million in federal funding to build new curbs, sidewalks and street raising where necessary, and to support the installation of new storm sewers, man holes, catch basins and water mains to prevent future flooding and ponding in this area. Securing New York City’s fair share of federal infrastructure funding has been one of my top priorities in Congress, and I look forward to seeing this and other flood resiliency projects completed across our borough in the near future,” she added.

Malliotakis was joined earlier this week by Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island), and her dog Luna at the intersection of Rowan Avenue and Mason Avenue, where part of the project will take place.

Both Carr and Fossella thanked Malliotakis for the sum, which she secured during an appropriations process. From the same appropriations, she obtained additional funds for a King Street sewer project on the South Shore.

Carr and Fossella echoed that this project is an instance of governments successfully uniting.

“This is just another great example of what government can do when there’s actually cooperation between the federal, state and city levels,” Carr said. “This project is incredibly important, because as great as the Bluebelt is, if you don’t have the right streetscape, if you don’t have the right pitching, if the catch basins aren’t in the right place, the water never reaches them, and then they never get into these BMP’s [Best Management Practices], these drainage ponds, in order to make it back out to sea…”

The project, estimated to be completed in 2025, will bring work crews to Laconia Avenue and Rowan Avenue, as well as Lincoln Avenue—between Boundary Avenue and Sanilac Street—a written statement detailed.

The written statement continues to say what the work will entail, including:

· The installation of 7,980 timber piles

· The planting of 452 Caliper trees

· 70 linear feet of new storm sewers

· The replacement of 40 linear feet of 8-inch water main

· Six catch basins

· Three manholes

This street reconstruction project is a joint effort between the city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Over the past two-plus decades, the DEP has constructed more than 70 Bluebelts across Staten Island designed to enhance natural drainage corridors, like ponds and streams, to reduce flooding throughout the borough.

The three officials described hopes of expanding funding for similar projects across Staten Island, fostering more inter-agency and inter-government cooperation.

“We are actively looking for opportunities to work with the city DEP to fund projects that they have in the pipeline. I’ve already been speaking with Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks and our State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton about some possibilities,” Malliotakis said.

She further explained that the city needs to have projects slated and most of the money required for the projects accumulated for federal funding to be granted. The next appropriations process, she said, will occur “in the next couple of weeks.”

Malliotakis said eyes will turn to North Shore neighborhoods like Snug Harbor, West Brighton, and Randall Manor, as Bluebelt projects are formulated.

“Our goal is to keep this dialogue going as to how we can piece together, patch together, Bluebelt systems for the North Shore community,” Fossella said.

Carr added that a DEP “drainage area study” completed recently will help to develop new projects running from Willowbrook, to Snug Habor and Randall Manor, to Westerleigh and Port Richmond.