An Op-Ed by Nicole Malliotakis. As published in the Staten Island Advance
The anniversary of Superstorm Sandy serves as a stark reminder of the devastation our community endured 11 years ago today. It also gives us an opportunity to reflect on the progress made as new sewers, berms, oyster beds, Bluebelts and other resiliency projects ensure Staten Island is protected in the event of another superstorm. The biggest of them all, the East Shore Seawall, got caught in a decade of bureaucratic red tape and endless redesigns made by the de Blasio Administration, setting back its construction several years.
I’m happy to report that significant progress has been made and we’re getting it back on track.
Since coming to Congress in 2021, I’ve been working closely with city, state and federal stakeholders to put an end to the countless (and costly) redesigns and ensure this project stays on its new schedule. Last year, I was able to pass legislative language to secure the final piece of funding for the Seawall, which was left underfunded because construction delays and inflation created a budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars that my predecessor neglected to remedy.
Final designs have since been approved by city officials and the Army Corps, permits were recently issued for the first phase of construction in South Beach, and the Army Corps anticipates the first contract for the drainage portion to be issued shortly. We are also close to finalizing an agreement on the radiation clean-up in and around Great Kills Park, which will give way to construction for the seawall’s levee, floodwall, and tide gate from Oakwood Beach up to Hylan Boulevard.
The seawall is not the only important project I’ve been working on to protect our community from future heavy rainfall and extreme weather events. Currently or soon-to-be underway are sewer expansion projects, the Tottenville Shoreline Protection Project to restore berms, wetlands and dunes to mitigate erosion, and dredging in both Great Kills Harbor and Arthur Kill Terminal to improve boat safety, reduce flooding and bolster economic activity. I’m proud to have secured federal funds for these projects and more.
As a both a representative and a taxpayer, I know that when we pay taxes, we expect our infrastructure to be improved and modernized to help protect our properties, communities and overall quality of life. It’s why I’ve also worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver funding for:
- Bridge repairs over the Staten Island Expressway
- Pavement preservation to extend the service life of our roads and highways
- Upgrades to MTA subway stations, Staten Island Railway cars and the Staten Island Ferry
- The Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island University Hospital, and our Veteran’s Medical facilities
- U.S. Coast Guard pier rehabilitation and housing at Fort Wadsworth
- Area airports and Airport Traffic Control towers
Despite the setbacks over the past decade, a never-ending list of infrastructure needs in an aging city as New York, and administration changes at the city, state and federal levels, we are making progress and I won’t stop working until the Seawall is completed. I’ve been standing with and fighting alongside the community since Sandy struck and, together, we are going to see this project through, and make Staten Island stronger and more resilient than ever.