Finally underway: Feds issue first contract for Staten Island seawall, will ‘break ground’ in 2024

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s been decades in the making, but a vital resiliency project meant to protect Staten Island’s East Shore from coastal flooding is finally underway.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has advertised the first contract for the undertaking officially known as the South Shore of Staten Island Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, but commonly referred to as the East Shore Seawall, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) announced Friday.

The first contract, which is expected to be filled in 2024, will be for an interior drainage portion of the $2.3 billion project that will run 5.3 miles along the coast from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach.

An exact completion date for the entire project isn’t available, but some Corps-estimated start dates for other portions of the work aren’t until 2030.

Despite that, Schumer and Malliotakis both applauded the milestone as they’ve both been working to advance the project since Hurricane Sandy devastated Staten Island in 2012.

“I’m excited to announce, after many hurdles, the vital seawall for the South Shore of Staten Island is moving another step forward with the Army Corps’ first contract set to be advertised for bidders in a few days,” Schumer said. “Staten Island’s homeowners and businesses need protection against coastal storms, which was made painfully clear after Superstorm Sandy. I’ve fought to clear every obstacle so the seawall can be built—from saving New York City and state taxpayers up to $260 million by securing 90% federal cost share, to ensuring Army Corps conducts site remediation—and I won’t stop fighting until the community is fully protected.”