All About NYC’s New Floodgate Projects In Lower Manhattan
Source: Squarespace/ Unsplash
Rising Against the Tide
More than a decade after Superstorm Sandy devastated the city's coastline, New York is unveiling a high-tech defense system designed to "flip the script" on storm surges.
Superstorm Sandy was especially notable because the storm uncovered a lot of vulnerabilities when it rolled through the tristate area. Entire sections of the city were under water including highways, subways, and other heavily used locations across the city impeding traffic and creating havoc across the entire tr-state area.
With the devastation of Superstorm Sandy in the rear view mirror, NYC has taken more and more steps to protect the city from future storm surges that are expected to be as bad, if not worse.
As of January 2026, the city has reached critical milestones in two massive infrastructure projects—the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) and the Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR)—which together will form a continuous 3.2-mile protective barrier along Lower Manhattan.
The "Flip-Up" Innovation
The most striking feature of the new defense is the installation of nearly 100 deployable flip-up gates located beneath the FDR Drive. Unlike traditional permanent walls that block views of the East River, these hidden steel barriers lie flat on the ground during normal weather.
Rapid Deployment: When a storm surge is detected, officials can activate the gates with the push of a button. The system is designed to deploy with the push of a button, creating an immediate wall against rising waters.
Dual Purpose: When not in use, the gates double as bike paths and walkways, preserving the "sightline to the East River and Brooklyn Bridge" for local residents.
Strategic Coverage: The BMCR project alone utilizes 97 of these gates to protect the Two Bridges neighborhood, an area that saw catastrophic flooding in 2012.
Heavy-Duty Defenses: The Swinging Giants
Further north, the $1.45 billion ESCR project uses a more traditional but equally massive approach. This system includes 18 movable swinging and sliding floodgates integrated into raised parklands.
The first of these massive gates—a 42-foot-long, 32,000-pound steel wall—was installed at the Asser Levy Playground. By October 2024, the city completed the first section of this barrier, protecting a stretch from East 25th Street down to the East River Park.
The plan also involves elevating entire parks, such as the John V. Lindsay East River Park, by several feet to act as a natural berm. This "integrated resiliency" model aims to protect over 110,000 residents—including 28,000 in NYCHA housing—from a "100-year storm" projected through the year 2050.
Completion Timelines
While the first phases are operational, construction crews are working around the clock to finish the remaining sections.
Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery (BMCR): Expected completion by May 2026.
East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) South: Anticipated completion by the end of 2026.
Battery Park City: Newer projects like the South Battery Park City Resiliency are slated for early 2026 completion, while larger north-side barriers are still in early construction phases.
