December 11, 2020

New storm sewers will improve drainage and reduce street flooding; water main upgrades will improve water service reliability for the neighborhood.

Photos of the work are available on DEP’s Flickr page.

The New York City Departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Design and Construction (DDC) today announced that work has been completed on an upgrade of storm sewers in the Staten Island neighborhood of Bay Terrace. The $10 million project has helped eliminate severe street flooding that would often occur at the Amboy Road overpass, just north of South Railroad Avenue during rainstorms. Work also included the replacement of water mains to improve water service reliability in the area, as well as the replacement of sanitary sewers to help safely take wastewater to treatment plants. DEP provided the funding for the project while DDC managed the construction, which began in January 2019.

“This $10 million investment has improved drainage and helped to reduce street flooding at a problematic Staten Island intersection, as well as upgraded the neighborhood’s water delivery infrastructure and sewer system. I want to thank our colleagues at DDC for once again shepherding another project to a successful completion,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza.

“This project helps relieve problems at a known flooding location while upgrading local infrastructure and beautifying the area with new plantings,” said DDC Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. “We partner with DEP all over the City to improve stormwater drainage and to increase the reliability of the water supply system, with 15 active projects on Staten Island right now representing more than $650 million in overall investments. I’d like to thank Commissioner Sapienza for entrusting us with this important work.”

“This newly completed storm sewer extension will make a real difference for the residents in Bay Terrace, residents who have battled serious flooding issues for many years. Thank you to our partners at NYC DDC and NYC DEP for their work completing this much needed project. No longer will these South Shore residents risk getting trapped in their cars during a rain storm,” said Borough President James Oddo.

“I'd like to thank DEP and DDC for their hard work and coaction that will have a lasting impact on hundreds of Staten Islanders. These necessary infrastructure upgrades will mitigate severe street flooding and improve water service reliability for our constituents,” said Council Member Councilman Joe Borelli.

“I have lived in Bay Terrace for most of my life and the lack of infrastructure has been an ongoing issue for decades. This project will alleviate the chronic flooding that the overpass has experienced and we are grateful for the city’s investment,” said Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis.

As part of the project, 1,200 feet of new storm sewers were installed and 500 feet were replaced along portions of South Railroad Avenue, Bartow Street, O’Gorman Avenue, Durant Avenue and Redgrave Avenue. Work also included the addition of seven new catch basins and the replacement of three others in the area to better capture stormwater and direct it to the new storm sewers, helping to reduce street flooding and improve drainage. The project also constructed an underground sewer chamber under a Parks Department greenstreet at the intersection of South Railroad Avenue and Amboy Road. Once finished, 51 species were replanted in the greenstreet, which now features a steel-faced curb and a crosswalk cut-through.

Additionally, 3,000 feet of water mains, ranging in diameter from 8 inches to 20 inches, were replaced. The new pipes are made of concrete-lined ductile iron, which is more resilient and less prone to breakage than the cast iron pipes that were replaced. Three new fire hydrants were also added and eight were replaced to ensure firefighters have ready access to the City’s water supply during emergencies.

While the roads were open for construction, 1,450 feet of new sanitary sewers were also replaced, with another 50 feet newly installed. As part of the final street restoration, 8,000 square feet of sidewalks, 1,800 feet of curbs and 11,000 square yards of roadway were reconstructed. The new curbs and sidewalks were leveled to help guide stormwater to the area’s new catch basins and to ensure adequate drainage during storms. Throughout the project area, 28 new trees were planted.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.3 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $20.1 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $14 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.