On May 20, 2025, the New York City Departments of Environmental Protection, Design and Construction, and Transportation celebrated the completion of an $84 million infrastructure project in New Dorp Beach, Staten Island. The area, which had been hit hard during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, received new infrastructure to help fight against future flooding.
Through the project, 8,701 feet of new storm sewers were installed. Milton Avenue, Finley Avenue and Cedar Grove Avenue were all raised by over a foot, and Hett Avenue was lowered by almost ten inches to help enable the storm sewers to collect water through gravity. The Department of Design and Construction worked with over 800 homeowners to reconstruct their driveways and some front yards to help accommodate the new street elevations.
Over 17,000 feet of old water mains and over 16,800 feet of sanitary sewers were replaced. In addition, 50 old catch basins were replaced and 101 new basins were installed along with 83 fire hydrants replaced. Over 314,000 square feet of sidewalks were replaced and 16,000 square feet of new sidewalks were added in the project’s area. The city updated 64 pedestrian ramps to be fully ADA-compliant and installed 56 new pedestrian ramps. Eighty-six new trees were also planted.
The project was designed by STV Incorporated of New York, managed by the Department of Design and Construction, and the contractor was JR Cruz of Homdel, New Jersey. The project was funded by the City Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Construction started in spring 2019.
DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala stated, “The devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy is still fresh in the minds of many New Dorp Beach residents, and this project will help ease their concerns about flooding. The completion of this new storm sewer system ensures that the community is better protected against future extreme weather events driven by climate change. I’d like to thank our partners at DOT and DDC for helping make these vital infrastructure improvements a reality.”
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella stated, “We are pleased that the project to install new sewers in New Dorp Beach is now complete. Staten Island is all too familiar with how debilitating flooding can be. New Dorp Beach, unfortunately, suffered greatly during storms like Hurricane Sandy in part because the sewerage and drainage systems were not up to par, or just not there. Now, with new storm sewers, improved road design and catch basins, parts of the neighborhood that are usually inundated with stormwater should be alleviated. We would like to thank DDC, DEP and DOT for seeing this project through, and we especially thank our predecessors, Borough Presidents James Molinaro and James Oddo for championing this needed effort.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)